Politics and traffic – the beat goes on

The LPOA will be holding a municipal candidates’ meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 2nd. We’ve booked the William Lea Room at Leaside Gardens, and (so far) have sent invitations to mayoral candidates John Tory and Jennifer Keesmat. We await decisions and news on the race for local councillor, and who’s running where.

The changes to the City of Toronto Act and the municipal election announced by the Ford government have led to more uncertainties and questions than answers, and, at the time of my writing, talk of lawsuits and challenges. Without wishing to get political here (tempting though it is!) I can assure you that as things develop we at the LPOA will do our best to adjust and keep everyone informed and up to date.

Meanwhile…
A traffic signage change is about to happen on Southvale Drive where it becomes Moore Ave., at the crescent-shaped intersection of Astor Ave./Mallory Cresc.

The alignment of the roadway makes this intersection dangerous for pedestrians who want to cross safely, given the amount (and sometimes, speed) of east/west traffic. Whether you’re a young person trying to get to Rolph Road School from your home in the southernmost part of Leaside or a would-be transit rider needing to cross Southvale or Moore to get to a TTC stop on Sutherland, there is no really safe place to cross in the long stretch of Moore/Southvale between Bayview Ave. and Rolph Rd.

In hopes of making this intersection safer, and at the suggestion of Councillor Jon Burnside, the City’s transportation staff will be moving the westbound stop sign currently at the corner of Southvale and Astor a few feet farther west. This will allow installation of a marked north/south crossing for pedestrians. Only the westbound stop sign will be moved. The eastbound sign will remain where it is now.

The flashing red light atop the eastbound stop sign will remain – but the flashing light atop the westbound sign, in the new location, will only be installed one or two months later, as staff need to request power connection from Toronto Hydro. And they can’t request power until staff receive confirmation from the contractor that the sign installation and wiring are complete.

Will the delay in replacing the light make the westbound stop sign less visible and lead to driver confusion during that time period? We’ll find out soon, since the work is scheduled to start by Labour Day.

LPOA Traffic Committee

Still on the always fertile subject of traffic, the LPOA Traffic Committee is aiming for a late autumn public meeting on our traffic calming recommendations for both North and South Leaside. We are all keen to hold this event as promptly as possible! Once we have details, we’ll post information on the LPOA site and in Leaside Life, as well as by flyer distribution.

LPOA board meeting

Our next LPOA board meeting is on WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5 at 7:30pm, in the Trace Manes building. We invite you to attend, whether for help on local matters, to share your opinion or give advice, or just to hear more about what is happening in our community. Contact us anytime via our website, lpoa.ca.

About Carol Burtin Fripp 145 Articles
Carol Burtin Fripp is Co-President of the Leaside Residents Association, and is Chair of the LRA's Traffic Committee. Over the years, she has served on numerous East York and City task forces. Now a retired television producer (TVO and CBC), she writes Leaside Life's monthly LRA column, and has created a daily international current affairs newsletter read from Newfoundland to New Zealand.