As you are well aware there are sections of Delhi Street between Eramosa Road and Emma Street where parking is allowed on one side of the street, as well as portions where there is no parking on either side of the street. This has been the case for at least the last 20 years that we have lived on Delhi.
Prior to the summer of 2005 when this section of road was rebuilt the lane marker ran down the centre of the street only in those areas where no parking was permitted. In areas where there was parking the lane marker was closer to the non-parking side, giving the side where parking was permitted a wider lane, making it safer and easier for cars to be parked and for people to enter and exit their vehicles safely.
After the reconstruction 2 years ago what appeared to be a temporary marker was placed down the centre of the street. My wife and I, as well as neighbours we spoke to about this, assumed that this would be corrected when a permanent line was painted. Unfortunately this turned out to not be the case. Last Thursday evening, shortly after 10 P.M., a fresh, and obviously final, line was painted.
The safety issue is apparent to anyone using the street, and is most obvious directly in front of the General Hospital. Because no extra room was provided on the parking side, opposite the hospital, vehicles travelling from Emma toward Eramosa, including city buses, regularly cross into the oncoming lane to allow more room for motorists getting into or out of their cars. Considering the speed at which many vehicles travel on Delhi Street at all hours of the day and night the fact that there has not yet been a serious accident must be attributed more to good luck than good planning.
I am anxious to know why the manner in which the line had been set for at least 18 years was not followed when the street was repaved. JA
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Thank you for the elaboration. I do recall the historic markings of this roadway, particularly that the line in some sections of the street were off-set because of on-street parking. I have personally reviewed Delhi to see what you have referred to. The section in front of the hospital is of some concern. I have asked staff to confirm that it meets at least minimum lane width standards. If it does, then we will leave it where it is for now and discontinue its annual repainting until it fades sufficiently to relocate that section of marking closer to the east curb. If it does not, then we will have to remove the marking immediately and paint a new line. I would prefer to avoid removing the existing line because to do so permanently scars the roadway creating what in essence will be a ‘black’ line. This could prove confusing for motorists, particularly during wet conditions. Staff