Residents in the Avalon neighbourhood say they have some major concerns over safety after access to a street in the area was closed off to drivers.
“People used to be able to travel down the street, be able to turn down Glasgow Street and access their homes,” said Blayne Hoffman, pointing to Clarence Avenue.
Now, northbound motorists have no other choice but to reroute their commute since a concrete partition prevents them from turning left on to Glasgow Street.
The temporary barrier was installed in October, 2017 and was a tactic triggered by the City of Saskatoon to combat increased traffic flows and speeding along Glasgow.
By doing this, Hoffman said it created an entirely new set of safety and traffic concerns in other parts of Avalon as drivers are forced to go further north to turn.
It’s for this exact reason that the president of the Avalon Community Association has now stepped in and taken a stance.
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“What scares us is what is the top limit that is getting them to 45 kilometres an hour?” Angela Strand said.
“…and it’s actually three school zones if you look at it – we have the preschool here (St. Martin’s), George Vanier and John Lake School.”
“It equates to a lot of extra time in their cars and some people have three cars in their driveway that are going that distance so it’s an environmental factor too,” she added.
They have now circulated a petition in the area and have 356 people backing them to have the barrier being removed including 18 homeowners who live along Glasgow.
“This equates to 87 per cent to remove the closure in our Avalon neighbourhood,” Hoffman said.
In a statement issued to Global News, here’s what the Jay Magus, the city’s acting director of transportation, said about the matter:
“The data show directional closure has reduced short-cutting along Glasgow Street.
“The Administration acknowledges that the recommendation is not perfect for every citizen, but views the directional closure as a compromise that addresses the concerns of residents on Glasgow Street without significantly impacting residents on surrounding streets.
“There is a large opportunity for a successful overall neighbourhood outcome, but it does require the participation and cooperation of each resident on Glasgow Street, McAskill Crescent, and Mendel Crescent.”
Strand said this isn’t a Glasgow versus the rest of Avalon but that the barricade isn’t the answer.
“People don’t move to a crescent to have 600 cars going 60 kilometers down their street so it’s not about cutting off Glasgow in this issue, it’s about trying to find an alternative that works for everybody,” she said.
The issue goes before city council on Monday, where they will vote on what to do next.
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