Dear editor:

I was surprised to read about the four-way stop being put in at the intersection of Garrison Village Drive, Perez Road and Jordan Street, (“Council cuts through red tape on four-way stop in Village,” May 13).

There is already a stop sign within close proximity at the entrance to the Shoppers Drug Mart plaza. I realize a new medical building is planned for the area and an increase in traffic may warrant a stop sign, however, this has not come to fruition yet.

The Village Community Association overstates that the organization represents nearly 100 per cent of the residents in the area, as the group failed to reach out to members living within the community.

Although I agree with Lord Mayor Betty Disero’s attitude toward conducting an expensive study, I’m concerned the feedback about the four-way stop will only be sought from a portion of the area's residents.

If the goal is to increase the safety within the Village community, no parking along the streets as originally suggested by the town staff would make more sense. Many residents use the street as their own personal parking lot, particularly in the new-build area, which contravenes the NOTL bylaw for parking on the street for more than 12 hours at a time.

I agree this slows down traffic, but also raises several different safety concerns. This includes navigating other cars coming head-on when trying to get around parked cars, obstructing the street view for drivers (particularly close to intersections/corners), and, all too often, threading through cars parked on both sides of the road.

I feel this conversation about the stop-sign has been one-sided. There is a large portion of the Village community that is not represented by the association, which is requesting this stop sign yet has overlooked the parking issues to suit its benefit.

Kirsten Bott
Garrison Village