Lundrigan aims to remove the confusion from Spaniard Bay roads

By Olivia Bradbury / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Signage has been a recurring topic at Spaniard’s Bay’s council meetings. It was on the agenda again for the April 15 meeting as councillor Sherry Lundrigan made a motion to add signs on Rectory Avenue and Caseys Lane to indicate where one road ends and the other begins.
Rectory Avenue and Caseys Lane are nearly unique in that they make up a single road. The road is marked as Rectory Avenue on one end and Caseys Lane on the other, with the transition between the two occurring somewhere along the road. Councillor Eric Jewer noted they used to be two distinct roads, but merged into a single road over time.
At present, the Caseys Lane road sign is missing, having been knocked down during a construction phase last year. In addition to replacing the sign, Lundrigan moved to install a sign to indicate the transition between the two roads.
“Anyone that’s familiar and that lives in this area knows that that lane is divided into two streets — we have Rectory Avenue and we have Caseys Lane,” said Lundrigan.
However, she added, people not from the area, including delivery drivers, are not aware of this fact. Some people who turn onto the road from the Caseys Lane side assume the entire street is Caseys Lane, and vice versa for some drivers who enter from the Rectory Avenue section.
Recently, Lundrigan witnessed a delivery driver make several loops of Rectory Avenue and Caseys Lane. When she asked him what he was looking for, he told her he was trying to find Caseys Lane, unaware he was already on it as he had entered from the Rectory Avenue side. Lundrigan said that’s what prompted her to add the topic to council’s agenda and make motion that the town add a sign with arrows indicating where Rectory Avenue and Caseys Lane begin and end.
Acting Spaniard’s Bay Town Clerk/Manager Vanessa Higgins pointed out there is another pair of roads in the town, Big Pond Road and Pond Side Road, which make up a single street with no indication of where one ends and the other begins. Lundrigan replied that she could add a sign for these roads to her motion, as well.
“Streets are so important now because everything is delivered,” said councillor Darlene Stamp.
Councillor Jewer seconded Lundrigan’s motion to add signs to the four streets. It passed unanimously.