Crosswalk at Carillon Tower ‘desecrates’ war memorial: Simcoe Legion president

The installation of a pedestrian crosswalk at the foot of the Carillon Tower in downtown Simcoe has some Simcoe residents perplexed and upset.

Work began this month on the project that appears to include reducing traffic on Norfolk Street North from four lanes to two at the crosswalk, and the placement of a light standard right in front of the landmark tower that also serves as the town’s official war memorial.

“To my mind it’s poor traffic management planning, and it does desecrate the memorial,” said Bryan Robertson, president and chaplain of Branch 79 Simcoe, Royal Canadian Legion. “I can’t imagine why this was ever even considered.”

Robertson, who has officiated at Remembrance Day ceremonies at the memorial for the past 18 years said he isn’t aware of any contact made to the Legion by Norfolk County regarding the project.

“I can’t believe that any person that’s involved in the design of traffic patterns would ever do what they did here.”

The Legion president noted that the intersection at Union Street, a short distance away, is controlled by traffic lights.

“If they are worried about the kids coming out of (Simcoe Composite School), all they have to do is go past the Carillon, walk about 300 meters and they have traffic lights to get across the street,” he said. “They don’t even need a crosswalk here.”

The Simcoe Carillon Tower – standing 60 feet tall and containing 23 bells — was dedicated on June 17, 1925 to the memory of Norfolk County residents who died in the First and Second World Wars.

In an emailed statement, Mayor Amy Martin said the new walkway was a result of requests from residents, families and school staff for a crosswalk in that high-traffic area.

“County staff completed a traffic assessment and, based on staff’s recommendation, (council) made the decision to construct a crosswalk in the area.”

Martin said the installation includes traffic calming features that will make it safer for students, cyclists and pedestrians and will create additional parking spots on the East side of Norfolk Street.

“Installation is almost complete (but) staff will continue to monitor and observe the impact of the crosswalk on the Carillon Tower and War Memorial, as well as Remembrance Day ceremonies and other events, to determine if future adaptations or revisions could provide further benefits to the community.”

When contacted by The Reformer on Thursday, Norfolk County Councilor Alan Duthie said he was not overly familiar with the project that would have been initiated by the previous council.

“Engineering staff did some research and monitored traffic flow before it going forward,” he said. “It all happened previous to my term, and I am not certain how things came to be.”

With files from Susan Gamble