Traffic safety talks highlight community concerns and Town commitments

May 29, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Recent spring traffic meetings held by the Town of Caledon, Region of Peel staff and OPP sparked future road safety discussions.

The final two meetings of May were held in the Southfields and Valleywood community.

In the Southfields meeting, they shared traffic improvements and current initiatives underway.

Improvements included Kennedy Road and Snellview Road traffic signals, ASE Camera at Learmount Avenue, and No Parking signs at Old Kennedy Road to enhance sightlines at driveways and intersections.

Initiatives underway include an additional ASE camera on Dougall Avenue scheduled for 2025, a new “No Truck” signage along Kennedy Road, with implementation planned for 2025, and a Road extension on Abbotside Way for enhanced access for local traffic and emergency services and improve safety and reduce congestion on Kennedy Road.

Rose Adom, a resident of the Southfields community, attended the meeting to express her concerns regarding speeding and trucks in her neighbourhood.

“I have four young kids. It’s getting busy. Obviously the dynamic of the area has changed, so there’s a lot of traffic going back and forth,” shared Adom.

She shared that many are not stopping on the street for children getting on the bus, and roads are not cleared. Therefore, the bus driver is having difficulty stopping appropriately for the kids to get off.

Adom shared that by attending the meeting, she was able to learn, but also voice her concerns.

“I spoke to the city, they took a lot of notes in terms of exactly where my concerns are. Where and what in terms of which area of the street,” said Adom. “It’s good to see what’s coming, what’s going, and just to be aware, because like I said, I have four kids here. I love to walk. I want to make sure I’m safe in terms of drivers moving around.”

At the Valleywood meeting, Highway 10 short-term improvements were shared with the community, including upgraded two-way left turn lane arrows and signage, the installation of centerline rumble strips to improve safety, and LED retrofit of existing street lighting at five key intersections.

Also at the Valleywood meeting was information regarding the Snelcrest Boulevard Emergency Access Gate.

In the event of an emergency closure on Snelcrest Boulevard and/or the Highway 410 overpass, an access gate would be opened, and on-site emergency services could direct traffic.

At the meeting, many residents voiced their concerns regarding the lack of safety they felt with not only the 410 but the emergency access gate.

In a statement to the Citizen, Dan Terzievski, Director of Transportation, Town of Caledon, shared his thoughts.

“We appreciate the thoughtful feedback and input shared during the sessions so far. Staff are actively gathering and reviewing all of the comments and we look forward to hearing more from the community in the meetings to come. “

The Caledon Community Road Safety Association (CCRSA) has been in attendance at all previous Spring Traffic Meetings to engage not only with residents but also with the Town.

The CCRSA shared that they were happy to see another round of Community Traffic Safety Meetings happening this spring.

“Some of the meetings that happened in the Fall of 2024 were quite heated and there was a lot of frustration being expressed by residents. As we know, change with any level of government happens painfully slowly, and it is very frustrating to wait while those wheels of change grind slowly forward. But the CCRSA is working every day to make sure those wheels of change keep moving,” the CCRSA commented to the Citizen.

“It’s so important for people to come out to these Traffic Safety Meetings. I witnessed one gentleman have a great discussion with a Town of Caledon staff member about a concern he had about Old Kennedy Road in the Southfields community becoming a speedway and asking if some traffic calming measures could be added to ensure that he can walk his dog safely, and kids playing near that dead-end street can play safely. These are the kinds of conversations that need to keep happening and people need to take the time to come out to the meetings and have their concerns heard. It’s your chance to have the Town consider improvements that will positively impact your day-to-day life.

“Don’t miss this opportunity. Get involved and have your voice heard – the Town of Caledon is actually listening.”

The CCRSA aims to promote stronger enforcement of traffic laws, improve urban planning, and raise the standards for commercial vehicle regulation.

They shared they are committed to pushing for accountability across all levels of government, ensuring that road safety becomes a priority when decisions are made, as well as continuing to collaborate with municipalities, regions, governments, first responders, road safety experts and residents to improve road safety.

The CCRSA shared they ensure that residents are no longer kept in the dark through their association. Through CCRSA, the community has a platform to raise their voices and take meaningful action.

They have actively been working with Council to express their concerns.

“We have been pleasantly surprised by how receptive the Town of Caledon Council members are to listening to our concerns and participating in conversations to help improve road safety and illegal land use in and around Caledon. We have had many meetings, both formal and informal, with many of the Council members and also with Town of Caledon staff. This kind of open dialogue is key in ensuring that road safety and illegal land use remains top of mind for this Council and that they are aware that we are still pushing for change so residents can feel safe driving on our roads once again,” shared CCRSA.

The next spring traffic meetings will be held June 4 at the Caledon Centre for Recreation and Wellness and June 11 at the Alton Legion.