“I hope we get them (sidewalks),” expressed Sarah Aspeck, a resident of Pouliotte Street. 

 

Francis Racine, EAP

 

The woman explained that not having any is a safety hazard. A hill, located on the street, enables drivers to travel at a faster speed, much to the disarray of pedestrians.

 

“Sometimes, we have to walk in people’s yards,” she said during a phone interview. “There are some pretty big holes in the street too.”

 

Both Pouliotte and Gareau streets don’t have any sidewalks. The issue at hand is not the reconstruction of the two streets, but rather, knowing if the City plans to introduce sidewalks on both of them.

 

Both streets aren’t wide, being highlighted in the 2013 Official Plan of the Urban Area of the City of Clarence-Rockland for widening, as “they do not possess a uniform 18-metre right of way. “

 

 Ward 2 Councilor Mario Zanth explained that the City has two options for the reconstruction. Either rebuild the roads as one-way streets, introducing within each of them a sidewalk, or rebuilding them as two-way streets, thereby not having enough room for sidewalks.

 

He hopes that the City can organize a public meeting for residents of the two streets. “I believe a public meeting for the citizens of those streets might be a good thing, to allow them to see the plans and discuss whether they prefer their streets to be one-way with a sidewalk or two-way with no sidewalks,” he explained. “Too often, decisions are made without discussion and communication,” he explained.

 

The councillor was quick, however, to point out that the City is spending millions on the reconstruction of the two streets.

 

As of press time, the City had yet to answer the Vision’s inquiries concerning its plans on organizing public meetings.