Slowing down in Caledon

by SHERALYN ROMAN

During these pandemic times, for those who are able, it has been suggested that the world is presenting us with an opportunity to slow down a little bit. We are advised to take advantage of the good weather, the “enforced” family time with limited opportunities to do anything but hunker down with those folks who are inside our bubble and we are being provided with an excuse to “stop and smell the roses.” You know what else is helping to slow us down? Recent changes to roadways in a number of the village and hamlet communities that make up Caledon. Cumulatively, these changes are helping to encourage drivers to slow down. I don't know about you but I suspect you might feel similarly – thank you to the Town of Caledon, Mayor Thompson and to our Area and Regional Councillors, for helping promote road safety at a time when many families are on the road together, trying to make the best of a bad situation.

For quite some time, ongoing issues with traffic have plagued our community. We all know the horrific consequences that speed and poor driving can have when one of our own local families was decimated by the actions of a reckless, dangerous driver. I don't know that the recent measures undertaken by the Town to slow the flow will prevent another such occurrence but I do know this – it certainly won't hinder them! The work that has already been done in Bolton has impacted traffic flow through the downtown core and it seems to me I am not seeing nearly as many of the “headline making” pictures of car crashes at the intersection of King and Highway #50. In the Mayfield West communities, stop signs and traffic lights are popping up faster than Jiffy Pop popcorn over a campfire and not a moment too soon. Plagued with speeding vehicles and inattentive drivers, efforts to slow down traffic in this part of Caledon were an immediate necessity. Farther north, Hwy# 10 running through Caledon Village, in addition to being a posted 50 km/hr speed limit and with large trucks running through the area daily, has now also been designated a Community Safety Zone in hopes that this will help with both slowing down traffic and with speed enforcement.

Further afield, a quick trip up Mississauga Rd. will find you forced to slow down and stop at both Boston Mills and again at Old Base Line. With the amount of tourists visiting our area from outside of Town these are the kinds of measures that are absolutely necessary for the protection of visitors and townsfolk alike. After all, if you are out to enjoy our scenery on a sunny, Sunday afternoon drive – shouldn't you be doing it at a reasonable rate of speed? Why travel through picturesque Belfountain so fast that if you blink you miss it? Thankfully, Caledon OPP has also been doing an excellent job of patrolling the area to help with issues of traffic, parking and speed. Now, if only people would support local business and buy an ice cream or enjoy a locally made coffee while still maintaining social distancing! As well, a recent drive through Alton was a great opportunity not only to slow down, but to also admire the beauty of that area's traffic calming measures. I can't speak to whether the Town's only goal was to reduce speed or if there were other factors at play but it sure looks pretty.

Reminder signs that note your speed and encourage you to “slow down” have also been spotted around Town. In Terra Cotta and at the top of the hill in Caledon East are just two examples. Even the most mindful of drivers could use an occasional prompting and there's nothing like a flashing sign to get your attention. If you're not so mindful, hopefully this type of signage reminds you that people live, work and play here so stop barrelling through the area like you're on a Formula One racetrack! With school about to start, traffic cameras are also on high alert for speeders in school zones in an effort to help keep our children safe. These are all good things. Life is moving fast enough and right now, it's also lobbing quite a few curveballs at us. Let's not add distracted driving at high rates of speed to an already long list of distractions. If you are out and about in town or visiting one of our many pretty little hamlets and villages, slow the heck down and enjoy the drive. Thanks to these recent measures, the Town is helping to force us to do just that. Now, maybe you could even stop and smell some roses.