PlanLocal Ward 2 Safe Streets

How can our streets be safer? This is the question on the lips of people across Ward 2 right now, as residents and business owners embark on the PlanLocal Safe Streets process. They are invited to submit safe street ideas at until May 16th.
The safety of local streets has been an on-going concern for Ward 2 residents. Issues range from children navigating commuter traffic as they make their way to school, to safe cycling, and to dangerous speeding on some neighbourhood streets.
“I hear this all the time,” notes Ward 2 Councillor Jason Farr. “Safer streets is a vital issue for our neighbourhood communities. Ward 2 is proud of its role as a shopping, business, and tourism destination, but it is also a home for many people, including families and seniors living in six distinct neighbourhoods.”
To address these concerns, Councillor Farr has made $1 million available for infrastructure improvements to make streets safer. This investment offers a real opportunity to have a positive impact on safety in local neighbourhoods.
The PlanLocal Safe Streets process, developed by Hamilton’s own Civicplan, attempts to address safety concerns through citizen supported decision-making. This process reflects the fact that no one knows local streets better than the people who live, work, and play on them. PlanLocal funnels this knowledge into direct, actionable projects to enhance street safety.
PlanLocal involves three distinct phases: Identify, Vote, Build.

Identify: Between April 26 – May 16, residents can identify unsafe locations in the Ward and propose physical solutions to make these areas safer.
Vote: Between June 20 – 30, residents will be asked to vote on a shortlist of safe street solutions throughout the Ward.
Build: The results of the ward-wide vote will provide the Councillor with a concrete list of projects to build safer streets in Ward 2 beginning in the 2017 budget year.
The PlanLocal Safe Streets process was launched at a well-attended community event on April 26, 2016. Since then, residents have shared numerous examples of safe street solutions. For example, various locations have been identified throughout all six Ward 2 neighbourhoods. Suggested solutions include ladder crossings, sidewalk bumpouts, speed humps, better street lighting, repairs to sidewalks, pedestrian-activated crosswalks, and many more.
Ward 2 residents and business owners still have time to participate in the PlanLocalsafe streets process. Identify unsafe locations and proposed solutions until May 16, 2016, and vote on a shortlist of those ideas from June 20-30, 2016.
While the question remains: how can your streets be safer? There is a real opportunity now to take action to build safer streets and communities through the PlanLocal Ward 2 safe streets process.
You can learn more about PlanLocal Ward 2 Safe Streets and submit ideas at www.planlocal.ca/ward2/