Traffic calming issue a balancing act in Leslieville

By Neil Acharya –

Valarie Brown-Dufour thinks the traffic situation in Leslieville has gotten out of hand and she is taking it upon herself to see that something is done.

“At rush hour there is easily 100 cars backed up at the light to make a left turn from Lakeshore Blvd. E. onto Carlaw Ave.”

Brown-Dufour cites parked cars along Carlaw’s right lane during the evening rush as a major reason for congestion as it reduces two lanes of traffic to one, a problem she says “has gotten worse” since she moved into the area in 2005.

Brown-Dufour is organizing a petition in hopes of getting a traffic study done. She wants to see what steps could be taken to alleviate the traffic problem such as the elimination of parking on Carlaw between 4 and 6 p.m. Once enough signatures are collected—Dufour-Brown would like to see “100 names”—she will submit the petition to councillor Paula Fletcher who represents Ward 30.

There is plenty to consider for Fletcher in regards to traffic calming due to the fact that there are businesses in the area that would be affected if there was no street parking even if only for a portion of their business hours.

“I welcome people coming into the community democratic process. I support the citizenry bring forward changes, but I would also like to speak with my constituency,” says Fletcher. “These homes are in a designated employment area, not a residential area and the city just spent a million dollars to keep it an employment area,” she adds.

Brown-Dufour, who was born and raised in the city’s east end, commutes to the west end daily. She hopes that on the strength of her petition, traffic issues in the area can at—the very least—be examined.

“I hope to see something done in the next year. There are more condos going up and more houses being bought and renovated, it is a burgeoning community. Something needs to be done and hopefully this will be a catalyst for it.” For information or to sign the petition, please send an email to vbdufour@gmail.com with your name if you would like to be added to the petition.