The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Bike lanes out, parking back on River Oaks Boulevard East By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Dedicated bike lanes on River Oaks Boulevard East will soon be a thing of the past as on-street parking is restored to the area. Oakville council voted Tuesday to remove the newly-added bike lanes after hearing from six resident delegations who argued the bike lanes did nothing to improve cyclist safety and inconvenienced area residents by taking away the onstreet parking they had long enjoyed. The bike lanes and no parking anytime provisions were added along River Oaks Boulevard, from Mount Drive to Sixth Line, in July. With council's decision, on-street parking will be allowed except during peak periods from 7-9 a.m. and 5-7 p.m., Monday to Friday. Some residents pointed out during their delegations these provisions actually do give cyclists a dedicated space to ride during noparking periods. Town staff recommended the implementation of the bike lanes as a traffic calming measure and as part of the Town's Active Transportation Master Plan, which seeks to reduce future traffic congestion by providing residents the ability to use a variety of transportation methods to get around town. As River Oaks Boulevard East is not wide enough for bike lanes and street parking, Town staff opted to prohibit parking along the street stating many residents have long driveways able to accommodate up to four vehicles. During his presentation, River Oaks resident Bruce Williams said the bike lanes do not slow down traffic the way street parking had. "We used to park our cars strategically on the street, strictly on the weekends, to calm the traffic," said Williams. "Parked cars are a requirement in traffic calming because they set up a horizontal barrier that forces cars to slow down. The moment the no parking signs went up we saw a tremendous increase in speed on our street, which is actually still continuing today." Williams called for the return of on-street parking to reduce traffic speed and protect the lives of area children. He also said the no parking anytime provisions on the street were inconvenient as guests visiting for Thanksgiving and other occasions had to park on nearby streets that have limited street parking spaces. "We've had (on-street parking) for 23 years. It works fine. We've had a marked bicycle route for 23 years. It works fine. There have been no accidents," said Williams. "If you allow this, in my opinion, you are opening up the door for some serious accidents." Area resident and cyclist Scott Fleming said there are always obstacles in dedicated bike lanes that cyclists need to deal with including construction and pedestrians. As such, swerving to avoid a few parked cars is not that big a deal, he said. Fleming also pointed out few cyclists use the River Oaks Boulevard East bike lanes and that there is no bike lane continuity along the corridor limiting the value of this bike lane. During his delegation, area resident Pierre Girouard questioned the bike lane's effectiveness stating he has seen cars simply drive over the bike lanes when taking a curve. Following the delegations, Ward 2 Town Councillor Pam Damoff urged councillors against taking action, which could damage the Transportation Master Plan. See Case page 27 7 · Friday, October 12, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Police warn residents to be vigilant Halton police are warning east-end residents to be vigilant while walking, after a 13-year-old girl was inappropriately touched by a man Wednesday on her way home from school. At approximately 3:30 p.m., the girl was walking home from school near Chartwell and MacDonald roads. A man approached from behind and inappropriately touched her, then fled on foot. Police responded and spoke with a male in the area, but charges were not laid. "To enhance safety within the affected community, police have employed a variety of patrol methods and have been in communication with school board officials," stated a police press release. Members of the public are asked to be vigilant in maintaining their personal safety while walking in this area and to immediately report all suspicious incidents to police. The suspect is described as white, late teens, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, with a thin build. He has brown eyes, short brown hair described as a buzz cut. The suspect did not have facial hair. He wore a blue/grey sweat shirt with hood, dark blue jeans and dark running shoes, possibly black. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact 905-465-8970, Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-TIPS (8477), www.haltoncrimestoppers.com or by texting Tip201 with a message to 274637 (crimes). Try the Y! October 1-31 Get your FREE two-week pass* Sore Feet, Sports Injury, Painful Ingrown Toenails? Plantar Warts? We can help! Exceptional footcare for all ages. · Routine footcare · Corns & calluses · Plantar warts · Heel/arch/foot pain · Diabetic footcare and education · Thick or ingrown nails · Nail surgery · Sports related foot problems & injuries · Custom made orthotics · Sigvaris® compression stockings · Evenings and saturday appointments available · New patients welcome! J. Richard Werkman CHIROPODIST Swim, walk, run, shoot hoops or take a class - plus gain a wider circle of friends and discover why the Y is more than a gym, its a community. *Some program restrictions apply Valid only at the YMCA of Oakville. Limit of one trial per person, per year. Photo ID is required on the first visit. Connect with us! facebook.com/ YMCAOakville @YMCAOakville YMCA of Oakville 410 Rebecca Street, Oakville Tel: 905-845-3417 info@oakville.ymca.ca ymcaofoakville.com Visit our website, subscribe to our Blog or call for an appointment. Ample Free parking. located on the north/west corner of maple grove dr. and cornwall rd. 1495 Cornwall Rd., Suite 33, Oakville T: 905-845-4817 www.werkman.ca Scan to see our video overview! YMCA of Oakville Peter Gilgan Family YMCA