Crosswalk removal upsets Dartmouth residents
Residents in Dartmouth are circulating a petition to have a crosswalk in their neighbourhood reinstated after it and several others were removed by the Halifax Regional Municipality.
A crosswalk on Prince Albert Road near the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club — across from Silver's Hill — was removed by workers in September when the road was repaved.
Although nearly 900 children and teenagers in the area paddle on Lake Banook during the summer, traffic officials said their counts showed pedestrian and vehicle counts weren't high enough.
The crossing is also not accessible for those with disabilities.
Gloria McCluskey, the local councillor, said she's skeptical of the traffic counts.
"They must have done it at midnight because I know how terribly busy that crosswalk is," she told CBC News.
"Even in the fall when they're training, they're still running across and running up that hill and then kids use that to get to shortcuts to school. And besides, people on their walk, there's a trail that comes down that way. So what are they thinking?"
The commodores of the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club and Senobe Aquatic Club have already expressed concern about the removal of the crosswalk and have called for a review of the decision.
The petition that's circulating throughout the nearby neighbourhoods is calling to have the crosswalk reinstated — if not in the exact spot, then nearby.
"I hate to think that residents have to go to that step, to have a petition," said McCluskey.
"It wouldn't have to be moved far to get to where the sidewalk starts."
The crosswalk in question is one of nine removed throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality this year:
- Lower Water Street at Historic Properties
- Pine Street and Rose Street
- Portland Street at Rodney Road
- Prince Albert Road at the Mic Mac Amateur Aquatic Club
- Spring Avenue at Ellenvale Avenue
- Spring Avenue at Pembroke Court/Clysdale Drive
- Waverley Road at Applewood Lane
- Waverley Road at Garden Court
- Waverley Road at Rocklin Drive