At the Aug 25th Carleton Place council committee of the whole meeting, councilor Linda Seccaspina brought forward a motion to implement signs or crosswalk markings at 2 intersections in town where the Ottawa Valley Rail Trail (OVRT) meets busy streets. She proposed Lake Ave East and Moore/Munro streets as the ones she’s received most public feedback on as needing improved pedestrian and trail user safety.
Mayor Doug Black reminded everyone that Lanark County had committed to installing a crosswalk system at the Townline Road/OVRT intersection in 2021 as that busy thoroughfare is a county road. But any other safety measures at any other trail/road connection would be the municipality’s responsibility. Several councilors spoke asking why all of the intersections weren’t being proposed for these measures instead of just two. Treasurer Trisa McConkey noted that there was $10K in the town’s budget that could be used this year for these projects. While some members were looking to move the matter into 2021 budget plans with a full detailed and costed report, Black stressed the urgency in resolving a serious safety issue sooner rather than later.
At the end, the committee instructed staff to bring a detailed report with pricing to the next committee meeting on Sept 8th.
Article by Brian Turner
