1.       We are asking that the entrance/exit to Ravine Park Plaza (Metro Plaza) be closed on Port Union Road and not just moved.
City Planners & Council themselves first identified this as an extremely high accident location in their own 2004 environmental assessment when this road was reclassified as an “Arterial Road”. Arterial roads are supposed to have “uninterupted flow of traffic except at Traffic Signals”. See guidelines. Since then there have been 28 Major Accidents and HUNDREDS of minor ones. These were all caused directly by this entrance/exit. What a hazard! The city of Pickering created this entrance/exit in the 1960's when this was a 2 lane dirt road which had no stop lights at all, and there was just an empty field at this location. There was no plaza. This entrance/exit then serviced only a 2 pump gas station. The plaza came 15-20 years later and the entrance has been grandfathered since then. It has since outgrown its usefulness due to the phenomenal increase in traffic on this road. With the coming widening of this road to 5 auto lanes, 2 bicycle lanes and 2 sidewalks, continued use of this hazardous entrance/exit is simply insane. Furthermore it is A DIRECT CONTRADICTION of the province's own guidelines for “Arterial Roads” that have residential crossroads. These guidelines recommend REDUCTION of such crossroads. Ravine Park Plaza entrance on Pt. Union Rd. is further used to cut through and avoid lights at Fanfare or to Access Ravine Park Cres.

City Planners have decided to move this plaza entrance to align with a small residential street called Tilley Drive. This will change it from a “T” intersection to a “full 4 way” intersection which is even more hazardous. 60% Toronto fatalities are caused by left hand turns but the plaza wants an entrance on Port Union Road. City Planners / Council policies state that safety should always be considered. City planners & council are further aware that many pedestrians cross Port Union road at Tilley Drive or Ravine Park Cres. in order to access bus stops, to access Ravine Park Plaza, or go to Joseph Howe school. There have been at least three collisions here in the last year, even though Covid has temporarily reduced traffic volumes, it has increased hazardous driving. Cars race down Port Union road, many doing 80 km/h and some EXCEEDING 100 km/h!  The negative impact this will have on the centennial community with traffic cutting through to access the plaza will exacerbate problems we have and the city has decided to ignore, which is evident in the full Environmental Accessment in 2004 vs. Th3 amended 2014 EA which ignored known mid block crossing.  2014 EA did not do a car count and provide a guess which is far lower that the actual car count,

      2.       We are asking for traffic lights at Port Union Road and Ravine Park Crescent. These lights should be synchronized with the traffic lights at Lawson/Fanfare (only 250 m away) but of longer duration in N-S direction and thus not impede traffic flow on Pt Union.. These lights will be welcomed by:  a/ students b) autos going to the plaza c) pedestrians  d) TTC users accessing the Bus stops at this location e) Residents living on Ravine Park Cres. because this intersection has had its own share of accidents, and will provide safe entrance to the side entrances of the plaza.

They have decided to move this entrance to align with Tilley Drive, so there will be 4 left turns happening at this location Without any traffic control as it is too close to Lawson Road.  Left hand turns are responsible for 60% of fatalities in Toronto.  

In addition we wish to  have lights added at Ravine Park Crescent so that residents and patrons to the plaza can exit safely.   This location is also a crossing point for many pedestrians,, to which again the city planners and councillors are aware of.

 We want to make this safe for our children and those that are most vulnerable, but it seems the city does not.  Please sign the petition.