Roger Varley has been in the news business almost 40 years with The Canadian Press/Broadcast News, Uxbnridge Times-Journal, Richmond Hill Liberal and Uxbridge Cosmos. Co-winner with two others of CCNA national feature writing award. In Scout movement over 30 years, almost 25 as a leader. Took Uxbridge youths to World Jamboree in Holland. Involved in community theatre for 20 years as actor, director, playwright, stage manager etc. Born in England, came to Canada at 16, lived most of life north and east of Toronto with a five-year period in B.C.
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Have we been blindsided?
As you might be aware, I have been a keen spectator of the Big Dig on Brock Street West.
I remain impressed with the workmanship of the construction crew of Ron Robinson and the pace they have been keeping. Since they started on June 22, they have replaced the water mains and sewers, laid the curbs, paved the road and started work on the flower beds and tree planters between Toronto Street and Church Street.
To the best of their ability, they have done what they could to lessen the impact on the merchants along that stretch of road and they always have a friendly word for any sidewalk superintendents stopping to watch the progress. And the construction workers appear to have enjoyed the experience, too.
However, I see a problem looming and a few people I have spoken to appear to be of the same mind. I believe the Region of Durham, whose project this is, has blindsided those merchants and residents who wanted angle parking maintained.
To be sure, angled parking spaces have been set out on the south side of Brock Street, but I am predicting they will be replaced by parallel parking spots inside of two years.
Anyone who cares to examine the newly paved and painted stretch closely will see how little space there is between the parking spots and the centre line of the road. Vans belonging to the construction company now regularly park in those angled spots and there is a bare minimum of space for traffic to travel between the centre line and the rear of the parked vehicles. Any large truck coming along would have to cross the centre line to move past parked cars.
The reason for this is that the south sidewalk and the north sidewalk have been widened. Not necessarily as dramatically as many wanted, but widened nevertheless, enough to push the angled parking out far enough to create, in my opinion, a hazardous situation: just the kind of hazardous condition that the parallel parking fans said already existed.
In all the years I have been in Uxbridge, I truly cannot remember an accident caused by angled parking on Brock Street West. I remember talking to one of the merchants last year and he said there had been maybe a couple of minor dings in the years he has been on the street.
Once Brock Street is reopened, expect that to change. I am predicting there will be a rash of rear-enders as people try to back out of the parking spots, to the extent that parallel parking will be the only answer. And that is what the region has wanted all along.
Tell me, am I wrong?
