Town council voted 3-2 in favour of making a 50-metre section of Veterans Drive, between Dunromin Terrace and the Royal Canadian Legion, into a one-way street.
The road will be one-way northbound (heading toward the commercial sector) and will be reviewed in a year to see if it is meeting the goals of reducing traffic and speed in the area.
“I am glad we finally put it to bed,” said Coun. Eric Daley, who supported the recommendation by town staff to maintain the status quo. “I hope in a year it is working. I will enjoy not having to talk about it for a little while.”
Residents of Veterans Drive say they have been waiting more than 10 years for something to be done about the road which is busy with commercial traffic as well as passenger vehicles. The road was resurfaced and widened within the last two years but residents said this made the traffic faster and heavier.
Council has done two traffic studies on the street that connects Haliburton Road with Weaver Road. The most recent study shows the average number of vehicles on the road is 1,800 per day and that speed isn’t an issue.
However, residents attending Monday’s town council meeting said the study was done mid-week when traffic is at its lowest.
Francis Bonaparte, a resident on Veterans Drive, told council a playground on the corner of Veterans Drive and Dunromin Terrace is used frequently by children in the neighbourhood. There is also traffic from the seniors homes on Haliburton Road, including some people using motorized scooters. He said there are no sidewalks for pedestrians and in the winter the snow buildup makes the street narrower.
Town staff recommended that, based on recent study results, the road remain the same as it is, but the town should increase traffic awareness though signs and educating the public.
Pictou project manager Kyle Slaunwhite said it would cost about $200,000 to put sidewalks along the street and the town’s total sidewalk budget for this year is $390,000, so it was ruled out as an option.
He said there were also concerns about making the street one way from Emergency Health Services, which uses Veterans Drive regularly to reach the nursing homes and hospital on Haliburton Road.
Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan said his concerns are with the traffic study in that it didn’t take into account the needs of the neighbourhood. He said counting cars and saying it isn’t a problem isn’t enough for council to base its decision on.
He supported the small section of it being one way northbound which he said would reduce traffic by one-third and allow people leaving the commercial centre with the option of turning right on to West River Road to access downtown Pictou without using the roundabout.
“There are a number of children on that street and the park is in the corner,” he said. “These are things that need to be considered.”
Coun. Malcolm Houser said he also believes the small section of Veterans Drive should be one way, but he would do it southbound so that EHS could still access Haliburton Road and it would still significantly reduce traffic.
Coun. Nadine LeBlanc said she is concerned that making changes to this street will set a precedent for other areas in the town.
“I have had 40 phone calls from people asking me, ‘Why this street? I live on Union Street and there are just as many kids and just as much traffic.’”
In the end, the three residents in attendance at the meeting thanked those who voted in favour of the change.
“It looks like a bit of an improvement,” said resident Sarah Bronson. “Thank you for paying attention to us and making some kind of an improvement.”
Ryan said he couldn’t give a time as to when the road will be made one way because work needs to be done to Haliburton Road.
