Caledon declares a road safety emergency: Roads are “overwhelmed,” says Mayor

October 10, 2024 · 0 Comments

By ZACHARY ROMAN

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Caledon is sounding the alarm about the safety of its roads.

On October 8, Mayor Annette Groves brought forward a motion to declare a road safety emergency at a General Committee meeting.

“Safety is a priority for us… yesterday I believe there were four accidents across the town, it really amplifies the need to declare a road safety emergency,” said Groves. “Our roads are getting overwhelmed with the volume and type of traffic… the community has been asking us to do this for quite some time.”

Groves said at Caledon’s October 3 traffic safety meeting in Bolton, residents made it clear Caledon needed to declare a road safety emergency.

“They need us to create our own road safety emergency program… there’s no dollar value we can place on a life,” said Groves. “We don’t want to continue to react, we want to be proactive… we need to show solidarity from our residents so they feel they are being heard… we can’t have any more fatalities on our roads.”

Prior to the October 3 meeting, the Caledon Community Road Safety Advocacy Group (CCRSA) held the “March to Save the Next Life” in honour of 23-year-old Bolton woman Adrianna Milena McCauley, who was killed in a September 10 collision at King and Coleraine.

Groves’ October 8 motion to declare a road safety emergency program was approved by Council.

Also approved was a motion from Groves to form a safe driving and truck operating advisory committee.

She said as Caledon has seen an increase in both legal and illegal trucking, due to its strategic location in the Greater Toronto Area, there’s been an increase in complaints about traffic safety, damage to roads, and environmental harm.

Her motion asked that Caledon’s Community and Human Services staff, municipal clerk, and engineering, public works and transportation staff create terms of reference for a safe driving and truck operating advisory committee “to improve road and traffic safety and driver behavior for safer streets for our residents.”

Ward 6 Councillor Cosimo Napoli made a motion on October 8 asking that Caledon work with the Region of Peel to explore the feasibility of a full commercial truck ban, other than for local deliveries, on Highway 50 north of Mayfield Road in Bolton.

The motion also asked Caledon to develop and operate a comprehensive designated truck network that tells trucks where they can travel. Trucks are already prohibited on Highway 50 north of Healey Road; this motion would extend the prohibition further south.

Council approved the motion.

CCRSA member Joanna Valeriani delegated at the meeting and said her main concern is enforcement. She said more funding should be given to the OPP for enforcement on trucks and bad drivers.

“This plan will not stop bad drivers from using Highway 50 and ignoring the heavy truck restrictions… they have not adhered to the current restrictions and they will not adhere to an adjustment of the boundary,” said Valeriani.

She also noted the need for more safety on Coleraine Drive, which is connected to residential communities, where lots of trucks drive.

“This motion is in great faith (but) I feel it falls short of addressing the concerns of residents,” she said. “The issue plaguing Highway 50 is bad drivers who do not adhere to the rules of the road.”

Valeriani also spoke of how proud she was of the community for rallying in support of declaring a road safety emergency.

Another motion from Napoli was approved at the meeting; it was a motion requesting the establishment of an OPP community sub-station in Bolton.

Napoli said a visible police presence would serve as a powerful crime deterrent and deter instances of illegal trucks operating in the area.