A newly planted tree in the St-Henri neighbourhood is being called the city’s latest urban planning blunder.
Workers planted a new oak sapling smack right in front of a stop sign on the corner of Ste-Émilie and St-Philippe streets.
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While the problem is clear, the stop sign is not, as green leaves completely block the view of the road sign from the street for oncoming traffic.
“It’s not too easy to see. Not good planning there by the city,” resident Farhana Begum said.
Some residents did not even notice the sign while crossing the street until told.
“I guess I’m a bit baffled too. I didn’t even notice it,” another resident told Global News.
A number of trees and safety features, such as detectable warning pavers, have been added to the street corner as part of an intersection redesign by the borough meant to make street crossings more safe for pedestrians.
While the new foliage and safety measures are appreciated, the blunder on Ste-Émilie Street has left St-Henri residents scratching their heads and questioning the city’s use of common sense.
“I guess we do what doesn’t make sense first. Do that and trouble-shoot later,” Begum said while laughing.
Others like Nellis Andrew see the gaffe as a serious problem, calling it a “big error.”
Andrew says while the intersection is not busy, it does have its fair share of speeding and hiding the stop sign from plain view poses unnecessary risks.
“People speed here. It’s a residential area and this could cause many accidents. So it’s not a good place for a tree,” Andrew said.
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When asked about the blunder borough councillor Craig Sauvé said, “Things happen.”
Sauvé also added that the stop sign will be moved to a more visible location already marked out on the street corner.
As for when that will happen, no date was given.
Luckily, in the meantime, a second stop sign on the other side of the street remains clearly visible.