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Mono council addresses Fieldstone traffic concerns

April 10, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Commercial traffic and speeding motorists have become bothersome in the Fieldstone neighbourhood of Mono off Highway 9.

Mono resident Ankur Arora asked council when it met on April 8 if there are plans to address the traffic on French Drive in the Fieldstone subdivision.

“There is excessive amount of traffic which ends up using French Drive instead of Highway 9 to reach the businesses and they are often speeding,” Arora said. “This is a safety concern and the volume of traffic is not in congruence with a residential street.”

Arora asked if multiple permanent speed bumps could be an option to deter speeding motorists.

“I’ve seen that as a solution in other municipalities to address this,” Arora said.

Mayor John Creelman called the incidents of speeding on that thoroughfare a “perennial problem.” He likened French Drive to a commercial road in addition to being a residential street.

Matt Doner, the town’s public works and roads director, said his department collects traffic data on all Mono’s roads. That information includes vehicle speeds, traffic volume, and vehicle class.

French Drive was last assessed in 2022, he said.

Signage is in place to inform commercial truck drivers that the road is a residential street.

“We do install traffic calming speed tables,” Doner said. “This year we are looking at a traffic delineator on the roads to pinch traffic down, to slow traffic down.”

Those measures will be installed this year, he said.

French Drive, First Line, and Kingfisher Drive have gotten traffic calming measures in the past.

“We’ll be assessing that shortly and once we’re finished with winter operations, street sweeping and whatnot, we’ll be installing those (measures),” Doner said.

Mike Dunmore, the town’s CAO and previous public works director, said French Drive is a double-edged sword.

“That road was created as an exit for the Island Lake community,” Dunmore said. “I think what generally might be happening is when people leave (their homes) in the morning, they’re using the stop lights on First Line. But when they come back at night, they’re turning right on Second Line and coming through the Cole subdivision.”

He said there are commercial vehicles that use the residential roadway. But, there are also many residents who drive the subdivision’s industrial portion.

“The complaint, I think, goes both ways,” Dunmore said.

The seasonal speed bumps that are installed annually are a solution to the problem of speeding vehicles and to make it uncomfortable for drivers of commercial-sized vehicles going through the subdivision.

“As winter leaves us, Matt’s staff will definitely get those installed and those will help,” Dunmore said.

Councillor Ralph Manktelow said Arora’s question is topical considering there is a plan to develop 349 residential dwellings on Second Line. Many of the people who will move into the new subdivision will use Highway 9.

“And the obvious solution will be to put (traffic) lights in at the Second Line and Highway 9, but we’ve been told that’s not going to happen,” Manktelow said. “This is going to be an ongoing problem and one we’re going to have to deal with. I’m not quite sure what the answer is.”

Given there’s a community safety zone designation as well as a commercial vehicle prohibition in Fieldstone, Dunmore suggested Arora’s question could be something to be brought to the police services board.

“I’m not certain that the OPP is prepared to enforce our No Truck prohibition, but they certainly would be interested in speeding,” Creelman said. “And it is, of course to everybody’s benefit, double the fines in a community safety zone.”

Speed bump installations can be aggravating for drivers.

“But they are effective and they have been effective in that area in the past,” Creelman said.

He added that he was flabbergasted when Ministry of Transportation officials said they wouldn’t provide traffic lights on Highway 9 for the proposed Second Line subdivision.

“It was beyond belief,” Creelman said.

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