I was stunned to read that the Town of Milton is considering raising the speed limit on the north section of Commercial St. from 40 to 50 km/h. Obviously, the members of the community services committee have failed to consult with anybody who actually lives here. While it may be true that J.M. Denyes Public School does not front onto Commercial St., it does back onto it, and Commercial is the regular route for many students, both on foot and in buses. Also, keep in mind that Commercial St. is home to two other schools plus a busy day care centre, not to mention the many children who actually live here - including mine.
The idea that the speed limit should be raised from 40 km/h because people like to drive it at 60 or even 70 is clearly ludicrous, but frankly I would be happy if the police would enforce any limit. Commercial Street is used as a speedway between Main and Derry because unlike Ontario or Bronte, there are no traffic lights and only two stop signs. Add to that the blind hill at Charles Street, the blind turn at the day care centre, and the fact that Commercial is regularly used by incautious teenagers on their way to and from Milton District High School, and you have a recipe for disaster.
I live just north of J.M. Denyes, and since moving here ten years ago I have seen dozens of accidents and near misses just within a block of my home. I've seen two parked cars rear ended, one so hard that it was knocked a good 30 feet down the road. I've seen a teenaged girl hit the guard rail so hard she nearly put her dad's car into the creek. I've seen my neighbour's son come literally within inches of being hit by a speeding pickup truck. And then there was the time my neighbour across the street had her van sideswiped while backing out of her driveway. She was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down and it took her nearly a year to recover. That's not to mention the dozens of cats, dogs and assorted wildlife my husband has had to peel off the road in front of our house over the years. No kids have been hit yet, but it's only a matter of time.
There are any number of things the Town and the police could be doing. Placing speed traps on a regular basis would be a start, and doubling the fines might serve as a deterrent. But how about making Commercial Street less attractive to speeders in the first place? Heslop desperately needs a four-way stop sign, and extra ones at Charles and/or Sydney couldn't hurt. How about some of those 'traffic calming' measures they use in Toronto, like wide speed bumps and sharp s-curves? That might encourage people to use a proper thoroughfare when driving through town instead of a two-lane residential street.
In fact, why don't we change the name of Commercial Street to 'Residential Street'? It might remind people that children live here.
(submitted May 16, 2004)
