The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor City Hall risks a 'serious mishap' unless it makes traffic changes in a downtown neighbourhood. That was the message Hapnot St. resident Dennis Hydamaka had for city council at their regular meeting last week. In a letter, he asked council to consider designating Fifth Ave. to Churchill Ave. a one-way street with a pedestrian walkway demarcated on the left lane. Hydamaka also suggested speed bumps on this hilly stretch of road and called for, at minimum, cautionary signs with flags to be erected for pedestrians' safety. 'There is not a single off road walkway, sidewalk or cautionary sign to indicate that local residents of Fifth Ave and Hapnot St are required to walk on the busy roadways,' he wrote. Hydamaka said the area has seen much more traffic since the closure of Extra Foods and is used by large trucks, school buses and private vehicles manned by 'heavy footed' drivers. The situation was made worse, he wrote, by the city's leasing of the western portion of Glen Ave. to 'a private individual who blocked access to the avenue,' which he said had long been used as a walkway. Hydamaka said he 'cannot comprehend' why the nearby intersection of Fourth Ave. and Hapnot St. is not a four-way stop considering how busy it is and the existence of a four-way stop on South Hudson Street. Move signs In fact, he suggested council move the stop signs from South Hudson to this intersection. Hydamaka further requested council replace a downed stop sign that had stood at the Third Ave.-Hapnot St. intersection. 'I would hope that Council in its wisdom will consider and address these matters in a timely and a 'proactive' fashion prior to a serious mishap,' Hydamaka concluded. Council had no public comment on the letter, referring it to the Traffic Commission for discussion. In an unrelated manner, council awarded local firm Kendall & Pandya the tender to be the city's auditor for 2012. It will cost the city $20,900, with a possible fee for assistance from the Public Sector Accountability Board. The city established the four-way stop on South Hudson St, at the Phelps Ave. intersection, last fall amid speeding concerns.
