After several years in the planning stages, there is a fun new playground at Fairview Heights Elementary School. The playground was initiated by the school and by parents, who raised $45,000 for the project, including $30,000 from the Kin Club of Halifax. I was pleased to contribute an additional $15,000 from my Councillor’s capital funds. I was also delighted to purchase two accessible swings this fall, one for Fairview Heights and the other for DJ Butler Park on Flamingo Drive. A big thank you to everyone involved in making these projects happen. My Councillor’s funds have also supported the purchase of wheelchairs for a seniors’ club, equipment for Meals on Wheels, a tarp for an outdoor rink, and wood for community garden beds, to name a few projects. Please contact me at Kathryn. morse@halifax.ca or 902-490-4050.
ACCESSIBLE TAXI SERVICE AVAILABLE
Last spring Regional Council unanimously approved a three-year contract to Extra Care Taxi to provide an accessible taxi service for passengers who are unable to use conventional taxis. As part of the contract, passengers pay the regular taxi fare and HRM covers any extra costs for the service. Extra Care Taxi has ten accessible vehicles and offers service 24/7. Bookings can be made by phone at 902- 334-0334 or online.
NEW ROAD SAFETY FEATURES FOR DISTRICT 10
You may have noticed changes at some of the city’s busiest intersections, including two in District 10. The intersection of Lacewood and Dunbrack as well as the intersection of Joseph Howe, Dutch Village and Bayers Road have the new features. The crosswalks have been painted with zebra stripes for increased visibility, and rubber speed bumps with markers have been installed in the road. These bumps are aimed at reducing the potential for left turn collisions by encouraging drivers to take these turns at slower speeds. An advance pedestrian walk light is also provided at the intersection at Dutch Village Road. Intersections with higher accident rates were selected to be in the pilot.
Data is being collected at all the upgraded intersections to help design more permanent safety improvements. It is all part of HRM’s “Towards Zero” approach to reducing injuries and fatalities. These new traffic features are considered best practices across Canada. Between 2019-2021, trafficrelated injuries and fatalities in HRM declined by 13%. Next year more traffic safety and traffic calming measures are planned for District 10, pending budget approval.
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