By Gina Harris
Fearing for the safety of their children, 17 Florence Street residents have signed a petition asking that their street be made completely one-way again.
Florence Street runs one way between Percy and Bank Streets, except for the last 42 metres west of Bank Street which were changed to a two-way street in 1994.
The change was requested by the owners of the building at the corner of Florence and Bank Streets, currently occupied by The Mailroom and Quick Messenger Service.
The building owners wanted customers to have access to parking behind the businesses. The Bank Street Promenade Business Improvement Area supported the change.
Residents of Florence Street say drivers turn off of Bank Street, ignore the one way sign, and continue up Florence to Kent.
As a father of a three-year-old child, with a second one on the way, Florence Street resident Paul Couvrette is concerned for the safety of the children on the street.
“All you need is one person to run over a little kid,” says Couvrette.
“One person going the wrong way on that street will kill somebody and it seems unfortunately that the way most things get changed. . . is when someone gets killed.”
Additional complaints revolve around congestion caused by cars parking illegally outside The Mailroom, making it difficult for people to navigate the two-way section between Florence and Bank.
Despite the complaints, Jacques Lévesque, vice-president of operations at The Mailroom, says he would oppose any change to traffic circulation.
“When we moved into this building, the fact that it was a two-way had a major impact on our selecting this site,” says Lévesque. “If it had not been a two-way it would have had as great as 25-to-40 per cent impact on our decision. It was a big deal.”
If Florence is returned to a one-way street, Lévesque’s customers would have to go all the way around the block just to park at The Mailroom.
Lévesque says his customers need easy and convenient access to their mailboxes.
Still, Lévesque may not have anything to worry about. City of Ottawa Coun. Elisabeth Arnold says there are no changes planned at this point.
She says reports show there is an acceptable level of traffic in that area. Any changes to be made would come within the context of the Centretown traffic calming plan.
The purpose of the plan is to make traffic move more slowly through urban areas.
This is done through the use of speed humps and jutting curbs.
“What’s recommended in the Centretown traffic calming plan is that . . . there be a speed hump put onto Florence between Bank and Kent which would further slow down traffic on the street,” says Arnold.
But Couvrette says current traffic levels are unacceptable.
“I’ve even seen police cars going down the street the wrong way, and that to me is totally crazy,” he says.
The petition will be reviewed by city staff.