NEWS ARCHIVESJanuary 18, 2008 Results of ‘Your Safety Shad’s Business’ ‘Your Safety…Shad’s Business’ was launched in May 2007 and over a period of six months, I had the opportunity to witness first-hand the concerns many of you have raised with speeding in our community. I was motivated to take this initiative because several residents had contacted my office requesting changes to speed limits or the installation of traffic control signals and stop signs. Before any of these changes were considered, I felt it was important to gather my own information and work with City staff to decide which areas require further enhancements. The response to my program was outstanding and several requests came into my office to monitor a variety of streets during heavy traffic periods in the morning and late afternoon. Upon launching this program, I knew that in order to be successful, it was imperative that residents participated. Thank you to the many people to took the time to get involved and contribute to keeping our community safe. Throughout the process I have worked closely with City of Ottawa Traffic Specialist Tom Carmody and his team. Tom was fantastic and always made the time to come out and speak directly with residents to address their concerns. During the six-month period, we all worked together to record the speeds of over 3,000 drivers, many of whom are our friends and neighbours, to determine how many obey the speed limit in 40 km/hour and 50 km/hour zones. The locations chosen were based on comments or inquiries forwarded to our office and included Westridge Drive, Kittiwake Drive and Fringewood Drive. When the results were tabulated we had recorded the speeds
of 3,019 individual drivers and found that on a street with a 40 km/hour speed
limit, out of a total of 1,978 drivers, 1,371 (69%) exceed that limit. However,
on a street with a 50 km/hour speed limit, out of a total of 1,041 drivers, 241
(23%) exceeded that limit. Changes on Our Streets Recently I met with staff from the City of Ottawa Traffic department and we discussed at length the changes that will be implemented in our community. One change we have decided to implement is adjusting the speed limit on Sweetnam Drive to 50 km/hour to address inconsistencies in the area. The City is also proposing that the 50 km/hour speed zone on Abbott Street East be extended westerly to Stittsville Main Street; however, as part of a pilot project the existing 40 km/hour zone in front of Sacred Heart High School be maintained on school days only. In addition to this, a similar 40 km/hour zone will be implemented in front of École élémentaire catholique Jean-Paul II. We are also proposing an all-way stop at the intersection of Abbott Street and Granite Ridge Drive and I encourage you to submit comments on these proposals for Abbott Street. Please contact my office with your comments by no later than Feb.15, 2008. I am pleased to announce that this spring we will be launching a Slow Down Campaign pilot project in the Granite Ridge subdivision. I will be hosting a public meeting regarding this initiative in the coming months. Please be assured I will keep the community informed as this process continues. The City will be installing “no parking” signs near the
intersection of Westridge, Hazeldean and Kittiwake. I also feel that a traffic
control signal is warranted at this location in the near future and City staff
will be reviewing this in 2008. I look forward to working with residents and City staff to determine the best traffic solutions for our community. I will be encouraging the use of roundabouts in our community as I feel they are a great benefit to controlling traffic flow. If you have any questions, comments or would like to book
a speed survey to be done in your area this spring, please contact my office by
phone at 613-580-2476 or email at
shad.qadri@ottawa.ca. Report Card Last week I launched my first Councillor’s Report Card and have requested that residents provide feedback and grade my performance during my first year as your representative. I have sent the report card through my email outreach and it is also displayed on my website at www.shadqadri.com. Hard copies of my report card are available at my ward office, located at 1532 Stittsville Main St., and also at the Stittsville Library, located at 1637 Stittsville Main St. If you would like to have a copy of the report card delivered directly to your home, please contact my office. Please ensure you have filled out the report card by Feb. 8, 2008. I will also be communicating the results to our community through my weekly column and on my website. I am pleased that so many people have taken the time to participate and I hope to hear from many more people in our community. Also, I would like to stress that this is not your only option of communicating your thoughts to me. If there is something that has become an issue for you, my office door is always open for each and every resident. Although I have a number of meetings scheduled throughout
the week at City Hall, I have made it a priority to make time for residents to
meet with me face-to-face and discuss any items they choose. I have an open time
scheduled in my ward office, located at 1532 Stittsville Main Street, every
Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Please feel free to drop by and join me for a
coffee or tea and discussion. Also, I am always available by email at
shad.qadri@ottawa.ca and check my
messages frequently throughout the day. If you would prefer to set up an
in-person meeting please make your request through my office by phone at
613-580-2476. Council to Review Parking Due to concerns expressed by people in our community and across the City, I am willing to revisit the decisions Council made regarding downtown parking and extended metered hours from Monday to Friday. I will be reviewing this item with City staff and my
colleagues during the Transportation Committee meeting being held on Feb. 6 at
City Hall. As always I welcome your comments on this issue as it assists me in
bringing the concerns of our community to the table. “Always Listening and Acting on Y our Concerns” As your Councillor, I always welcome your keen input and ideas on how we can sustain and improve Stittsville-Kanata West. Please contact our office anytime by phone at 613-580-2476, by email at shad.qadri@ottawa.ca or visit my website at www.shadqadri.com. Please note that you can also contact my ward office every Monday and Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and every Wednesday from 1 p.m.-8 p.m. at 613-580-2424 ext. 33440 or 33442. Also, feel free to stop by anytime at 1532 Stittsville Main Street. Sincerely, [ close window ] |
