Ask residents what frustrates them most day to day, and traffic comes up quickly. Congestion steals time from families. Unsafe intersections put lives at risk. Improving how we move around Richmond Hill has been a constant priority for me.
The biggest win is one drivers have wanted for years. In addition to my Member Motion to request that York Region make the Capital Project for the Elgin Mills Road East overpass a priority, I lobbied hard at York Region to protect the funding commitments for the Capital Project to proceed to detailed design and construct the critically needed overpass, prioritized for 2027-28. Anyone who has sat waiting at that rail crossing knows what this means. An overpass keeps traffic moving, improves emergency response times, and removes a daily bottleneck that has held back the east-west traffic flow for too long.
Safety improvements do not always require major construction. Sometimes a well-placed reminder changes behaviour. As the Founding Treasurer of Richmond Hill Road Watch, I proudly secured approval from York Regional Police, Richmond Hill, and Road Watch to install road safety signs at the Yonge and Bayview intersections, two of our busiest corridors. These signs reinforce a simple message: slow down, pay attention, and share the road.
The broader work continues street by street. I have advocated for improvements to traffic movement and road safety on Bathurst Street, 19th Avenue, Bayview Avenue, Stouffville Road, Elgin Mills Road, 16th Avenue, and Major Mackenzie Road, pursued under York Region Capital Projects and the Good Roads plan. Each corridor carries thousands of residents daily, and each deserves attention to signal timing, road conditions, and pedestrian safety.
Traffic planning is patient work. Funding must be secured, designs approved, and construction sequenced over years. I have supported investments made in Traffic Safety and Operations Strategy in Richmond Hill that have yielded real, measurable results in calming traffic on residential streets. Building more connections, such as mid-404 crossings, helps people get home faster and with less worry. I took pride in cutting the ribbon as your York Region representative to open the second such crossing north of 16th Avenue on September 2, 2026. But every improvement compounds: a safer intersection here and a smoother corridor there. That is the goal, and I will keep pushing until we get there.