NORTH END
John Rennison, The Hamilton Spectator
The North End Traffic Management Plan is three years into its five-year goals.
This is one of the findings in a city report that will be presented to council this week.
The report provides an update on the North End Traffic Management Plan — a five-year pilot project that’s three years in.
The plan aims to address neighbourhood concerns that arose during public consultations, which began in 2002 with the city’s Setting Sail initiative — a study of the West Harbour area.
Some of those concerns include an overall increase in North End traffic, the potential loss of on-street parking due to roadway improvements, waterfront area traffic and speeding.
The report found that 85 per cent of suggested measures have been completed in more than 40 locations north of Barton Street, between Wellington Street North and the water.
Some of these include converting MacNab Street from a one-way to a two-way street, posting a speed limit of 30 km/h on all streets except James and Burlington, and building curb extensions at certain corners.
“I’m a fan of MacNab being two-way, because it adds another corridor for people to get to the Bayfront which, before, meant James would be very busy, especially in the summer,” says Mike Jerome, who lives in the North End. “I’m a fan of the curb extensions because I feel it makes drivers more aware of pedestrian presence, even if they don’t actually see pedestrians.”
According to the report, most progress has been made by applying temporary measures as a test-run before making permanent installations.
One of these included a restriction on northbound traffic on Bay Street North at Burlington Street.
The measure was removed after the city received complaints from neighbours that northbound motorists used Wood Street rather than MacNab or James Streets.
Going forward, projects include the two-way conversion of John Street North, and the alignment of the Strachan Multi-Use Recreational Trail.
Those two projects, slated to take place in 2017-18, will co-ordinate with reconstruction of the John Street Bridge over the rail line.
Later this year, a call will also go out for public art submissions for neighbourhood gateway signs.
Source: The Hamilton Spectator