July 25, 2015: The July 20 Guelph City Council meeting was the last chance to test/pilot a "road diet" (3 car lanes + 2 bike lanes) on Speedvale Avenue between Woolwich and Manhattan Court (1 block west of Stevenson). Despite over 150 signatures collected between July 16 and 20 (and many more since), the Mayor and majority of council voted for the worst road design possible.  You are still welcome to sign this petition, contact council or me directly (see below). 

Thanks, Martin

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Because Speedvale Avenue between Woolwich and Manhattan Court will not be reconstructed until 2017, we the undersigned request that the City of Guelph conduct a "road diet” pilot study (EA Option 3) between August 2015 and July 2016 in order to:

* improve Speedvale residents’ quality of life

* promote equality of all road users of all ages (drivers, pedestrians, cyclists) by restriping road with 1 car lane and 1 bike lane in each direction, with middle turning lane running the length of the street

* increase safety of all modes due to slower speeds, less weaving/passing and easier property entering/exiting

* decrease overall traffic and potentially divert truck traffic

* keep existing right of way and homeowners’ property intact thereby eliminating need for expensive property expropriation and hydro re-location – capital savings of minimum $4.95 million

* prevent an increase in the City’s road operations budget (e.g. snow plowing) 

* produce real travel and safety data  to see if road diet design could work beyond July 2016

* incent city engineers and planners to think differently about road design and work within a restricted budget

* set a precedent for Speedvale Avenue west of Woolwich and similar streets when they come up for reconstruction.

After you sign this petition, please consider submitting comments directly to the Mayor and Councillors @ http://guelph.ca/city-hall/mayor-and-council/city-council/.  If you'd like stay in touch about transportation solutions, please contact me at martincollierward2 (at) bell.net 

For further information:

* https://www.facebook.com/groups/safespeedvale

* http://www.streetfilms.org/mba-road-diet/

* https://guelph.ca/living/construction-projects/speedvale-avenue-construction-projects/speedvale-avenue-east-improvements

* www.transportfutures.ca

Thank You!!