Correspondance concerning a traffic light at 300 Hunt Club Road

Dear Maria,

Further to our discussions, I am writing to you to express the views of the Board of the Hunt Club Community Organization (HCCO) with respect to the issue of a new traffic light on Hunt Club Road just east of Riverside Drive. There are several points which I wish to bring to your attention.

First, I wish to thank you for bringing the issue of a new traffic light to our attention as we would have been unaware of it had you not called and asked for a meeting to advise us on what was proposed by the developer. You were very gracious in meeting us at night on your time so that we could be briefed shortly after you found out about the development. Your candid approach has been helpful to the Board and the community and we appreciate it.

Secondly, I want to advise you that the Hunt Club Community Organization unanimously passed the following resolution at its meeting 1 June 2009:

"In view of the fact that no new traffic lights were described as part of the proposed zoning of 300 Hunt Club, that the proposed traffic lights on Hunt Club Road just east of Riverside Drive be disallowed because of the major disruption of traffic on Hunt Club."

With respect to this resolution, I wish to bring several points to your attention:

• earlier in the year, the HCCO had agreed to the proposed development of the mall on condition that there would not be any extraordinary impact on the traffic on Hunt Club Road. The mall proposal which we reviewed did not contain any reference to a new traffic light.
• the addition of another traffic light on Hunt Club Road in close proximity to the Shefflin Bridge will make a very congested roadway much worse. As you are aware, this area is already used way beyond capacity and congestion is exacerbated by the interactions between closely spaced lights at Riverside, Prince of Wales and Antares.
• concern has been raised that any increase in congestion or slow down on Hunt Club Road will increase the cut through traffic on Uplands Drive.
• Hunt Club Road is a major roadway for east-west traffic in Ottawa and another traffic light will make travel times worse. A new light is very unfair to the thousands of motorists who use Hunt Club Road each day. Indeed, I am confident that the majority of drivers, if asked, would veto the notion of one more traffic light. The HCCO directors have spoken to over 100 people who use Hunt Club Road daily and all were opposed to the addition of another light.
• the argument that safety concerns support the installation of a traffic light for the mall seems ill-founded and self-serving for the mall. I would note that the entrance to Tim Hortons, The Keg and the Days Inn, which is only slightly further east on Hunt Club Road, is a very busy corner and yet it does not warrant a light. Thousands of cars enter and exit safely every day at peak traffic hours without accidents.
• the shopping plaza already has a traffic light entrance off Riverside Drive south of Hunt Club Road. The costs to city residents of further impediments to the east-west capacity of Hunt Club Road far out-weigh the commercial advantage to the plaza owner of a second traffic light entrance.
• the city should not support the installation of a new traffic light on the basis that the mall owner will pay to have it installed. The installation of all new traffic lights should be considered by city staff and committee only when benefits to the city are deemed to be substantial and consultations have occurred with those impacted particularly local residents and users of the thoroughfare.

I hope you find our comments helpful. We very much appreciate your continued efforts in working with us to build a better community.

Yours truly,
Jerry Beausoleil

Dear Sir,

I am writing to you to express the views of the Board of the Hunt Club Community Organization (HCCO) with respect to the installation of new traffic signals on Hunt Club Road just east of Riverside Drive.

With respect to the proposed traffic signals at 300 Hunt Club Road, the HCCO has met city staff and Councilor McRae to review the rationale and to state our concerns for the installation of the proposed traffic signals. Subsequently, we have continued to discuss the issue with residents and have continued to receive their support for the position we have taken. We note that the city is going ahead with the installation of the traffic signals with funds provided by the developer. My understanding is that the intersection does not yet meet the provincial warrants and that this may not occur for several years. Indeed, there is no agreed estimate of when the warrant might be reached.

The HCCO remains opposed to the installation of the proposed traffic signals for the reasons outlined in our letter to Councilor McRae of June 19, 2009. Moreover, we strongly urge the city to work with the Airport Authority and other developers to ensure that there are no additional traffic signals installed on this section of Hunt Club Road. Since Hunt Club Road is the only remaining east-west transportation link south of the Queensway in the city, we also encourage the city to work with other developers so that no additional traffic signals are installed on this major east-west corridor.

If the city is required to install traffic signals in each case that provincial warrant conditions are met, we are concerned that the ability of the city to manage traffic flow may be jeopardized. The bottlenecks which are occurring on Hunt Club Road are caused, in part, by the addition of traffic signals which slow the traffic to a halt at peak hours. The installation of additional traffic lights will accomplish little more than institutionalize gridlock, encourage the running of red and yellow lights, and increase the frustration of drivers. The city must look for better solutions.

Yours truly,

Jerry Beausoleil