GuelphToday received the following letter from reader Chuck Castillo with some thoughts on the Speedvale/Woolwich intersection.
Hi editors
Here's something I've been stewing on for a few months and yesterday I watched an elderly woman waiting to cross the street and I hit my limit.
After some time with the new Speedvale/Woolwich intersection, I have some feedback to give. I was surprised when I went for a walk to the pharmacy to observe that the pedestrian signal does not automatically change with the green light. You have to hit the button, then wait a full light cycle before it changes. This puts me in an awkward position. As a fully capable adult know that I can cross in time, but if some driver plows into me as I walk with the no crossing signal, I will be deemed to share some liability, putting in jeopardy any insurance or civil payout my family might obtain to compensate for my potential loss of income or death.
As an intersection bordering neighbourhoods, businesses, a popular walking trail, and a major city park, people on foot are treated as second class citizens. How the engineering department signs off on this is beyond me.
Going further, I am part of a one-car family. I often hop on my bike for a trip north to Canadian Tire or east to the Freshco. I remember when council went against city policy and voted to omit bike lanes on Speedvale, opting instead for an expensive pedestrian bridge to be built sometime in the future.
To see the bike signals they put at that intersection when there are no plans for proper biking infrastructure is not only a waste of money, it's a slap in the face. One more box to check on how green we are I guess.
Regards,
Chuck Castillo
