Raise the Hammer

First, Aberdeen is classified as a "minor arterial", not a major arterial. And it is currently well under-capacity for a four lane street.

A bunch of people meeting, organizing and requesting changes is called democracy and citizen engagement. The fact that the organization was spearheaded by the neighbourhood association further legitimizes the concerns.

The KNA is well-established and the elected Councillor has determined that they are a reliable representative voice for the community. The Councillor confirmed that the concerns are widespread, not just for residents of Aberdeen, and well-justified and decided to support them and find a solution.

Again, this is how democracy works!

That solution will represent a balance between the interests of non-residents who wish to drive through without undue impediments, and the interests of residents for a safe, comfortable and attractive neighbourhood. The City will hold PIC's and non-residents who have concerns can attend or email to make their views known. Or they could even organize their own group!

As has been pointed out multiple times, the street is currently under-capacity and this excess capacity can be re-purposed to improve the design for residents without significantly impacting traffic (based on standards for capacity).

You may disagree, but "being the best place to engage citizens" is one of the City's official goals! And it is just bizarre to claim that residents or councillors or the city should not be able to make any modifications to street design or other aspects of the urban design because people knew what it was like when they bought their house. Councillors all over the city are constantly pushing for improvements: look at the re-design of Wilson street in Ancaster, or new Rec Centres or playgrounds!