A city committee has approved major traffic calming measures for a busy section of Kildare Rd. and residents in the area are applauding the move.
Mary Lou and Bob Taylor spoke at the Environment, Transportation and Public Safety Standing Committee Wednesday and says the neighbourhood has been advocating for change for a number of years due to concerns over safety.
The plan calls for the reduction of lanes from four to two, additional stop signs, lowered speed limits and protected bike lanes from Ottawa St. to Tecumseh Rd. E.
Mary Lou says traffic has been an issue for as long as she can remember.
"We've been in our house for 46 years and we've put up, for many years, with GM and all that traffic going back and forth and we deserve, finally, a break."
She says she's had a number of close calls.
"I go around almost daily picking up garbage and I just can't believe the speeders. I've been almost knocked off my feet several times because they don't obey anything. They just think that it's the 401 because of the two lanes on each side."
Bob says it's a big step forward for the neighbourhood.
"We need this traffic calming for sure. I think the ideas are fantastic. This is a move forward for this city and for this particular street for sure."
A study carried out by the city found daily traffic volumes along the stretch of Kildare to be between 3,600 and 6,700 vehicles per day while the normal target for a local residential street is 1,000 vehicles a day.
With the plan approved at the committee level, it now moves to city council for further discussion at a future meeting.