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Chronicle h Year No. 4 lednesdav. Octob laterino. U Rubanez, a resident of Willow Street, presented council with a petition signed by 845 people opposed to the street closures and told of cars and motorcycles driving around the barricades or drivers going the wrong way on the oneâ€"way streets because of the confusion caused by the closures. Paul Eichinger, special projects engineer with the city, presented traffic counts for the area, comparing traffic volume before and after the street closures. The figures show a substantial decrease But another group of residents, some of them literally on the other side of the barricades, want the streets reopened. Calling themselves Citizens Against Road Closures, the group argues that the street closures have created more problems then they are solving. Linda Rubanez, spokesperson for the group, called the street closures "the most ridiculous and dangerous things that have ever happened to the neighborhood." ‘‘Those in favor of the closures have stated that the safety of children is the issue. In talking to families with children who live on Willow and Herbert, 1 have been informed that the maze created in the area has set up a far more dangerous situation." On one side of the barricades are resiâ€" dents like John Foster, who lives on Herbert Street. He praised the street closures for the positive effect the decreasâ€" ing traffic is having on the neighborhood, an upside that should offset an inconveniâ€" ence caused by the closures. "‘What is the upside? No or very little outside traffic coming through our area never intended or meant to handle the large amounts of traffic and a quieter Foster asked council not to remove the barricades, citing the deterioration of Kitchener‘s downtown core as an example of what could happen in Waterloo if families in areas such as the Mary/Allen neighborhood continue to move away. the deterioration of their neighborhood, complained about the levels of traffic. A consultants study commissioned by the city recommended the street closures. &fid»”flnw bile." Keren Adderiey Chronicle Staff The divisions were as obvious as the barricades which divides their streets Tension levels were high at a special town hall meeting Monday, when residents of the Mary/Allen neighborhood packed Waterloo council chambers to discuss the controversial street closures in the neighborhood, an issue that has pitted neighbor against neighbor for three months. In June, council voted to close Herbert [ and Willow Streets after one group of lgaidgnts, concerned about the safety and # Council faces tough street closure decision OCT 2> 1 (Continued on page 2) ' Â¥rom a~ "”7 dol WATENL®] FUI iCns FEL rental fees by Trymar and \sfl'a'weflwfiyw the provincial guideline of a 16 per ce mm ue hy worked h'.fl- to reduce the cn:- ufter the city threatened to revoke ub But Butler says he uld like to see other solutions to the operator, Trymar Corporations. . *We feel we should do something to break the monopoly," said Butler. There are 81 registered charities in en apply oo a ueorine from the sity io must a li city to flm The problems is, the and owner Martyn for space hudmhlh Bingos about $6.1 million in revenue last year, with about $1.5 million going to the charities. But $1.1 million went to administration and After months of planning, Waterioo finally has its public recycling depot. Now city residents who aren‘t serviced by the biue box program can get in on the recycling game. Page 9