This is just a reminder that you have until June 8th to submit your comments through the Town of Milton’s website for the 2012 Budget Call Report.

Here is the link to the survey.

The survey collects information from residents asking them questions on the priorities YOU would like to see Milton Town Council & Staff focus on for next years budget.  Personal information collected will not be used/sold for any other purpose.

Some of the priorities it will ask you about is fire services, winter control, transit, roadway maintenance, parking, traffic signals, parks, recreational facilities among others.  It will ask for your opinion if we should increase funding, maintain service levels, or decrease them.

Your comments are important and there are options for you to provide your opinions including if you support property tax increases to allow for increase in levels of services or new services.  Another question it asks if you support the dedicated tax levy for hospitall expansion and if you have any additional comments.  This question is very important and we’d like to hear your opinions on the matter.

So please take some time, if you havent already, to complete the survey.  It should take no more than approximately 5 minutes for you to complete but the input is important.

As always if you have something specific you’d like me to bring to council regarding these issues, feel free to call or email me mike@mikecluett.ca

The Town of Milton will continue to ask for input throughout the year as will your councillors to make sure that this upcoming budget represents what you feel our priorities should be.

The Budget Call report will be delivered to council this month and of course, there will be opportunities to meet with me and others over the next few weeks to have more comments submitted.

Democracy is a two way street and we need as much input as possible.  Dont be shy, complete the survey today!

The Town of Milton has issued a report outlining the new traffic calming policy for our roads.  

The Town’s Traffic Calming Policy provides guidelines, procedures and criteria to initiate, investigate and implement traffic calming measures within residential neighbourhoods. Its purpose is to address safety concerns related to speeding and excessive volume in a fair and efficient manner.

Guidelines in the Policy apply to local and collector roadways within primarily residential neighbourhoods.

Traffic calming measures can be effective in addressing issues related to vehicle speed, excessive traffic volume and overall neighbourhood safety. Commonly used traffic calming measures include speed humps, traffic circles, curb extensions, curb radius reductions and raised median islands.

The Policy was developed by staff and approved by Milton Council. Residents will be notified about the implementation schedule and procedures.

Here is a link from the Town of Milton website.

Here is an article from Christina Commisso from the Milton Canadian Champion about last Monday nights Community Services Standing Committee Meeting.

Farmer fears race will hurt business

Plans for Milton to host the premier race during June’s Canadian Road Cycling Championships are in jeopardy, following opposition from a local strawberry farm.Saturday, June 25 is the date elite riders are to take to Milton streets for grueling 157 and 180-km races that could very well determine which Canadians will be heading to the 2012 Summer Games. Among these cyclists will be Canada’s golden girl Clara Hughes, a two-sport Olympic medalist.

June 25 is also one of the busiest days for business for Springridge Farm on Bell School Line.

With road closures planned for throughout the day and a route that runs on Bell School Line — Springridge’s home for more than 50 years — owner John Hughes is worried the race will have serious implications on his business.

During Monday’s community services meeting, Hughes asked the committee to say no to the race.  “This is not a charity race, but an elite race with talk of the Olympics down the road for some. For Springridge, the strawberry season is our Olympic season.”

Hughes said the hundreds of bikes that will hit Milton streets combined with the 1,000 to 1,800 cars and anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 strawberry pickers expected to make their way to the family-owned farm don’t make for a good mix.

“The liability exposure for all concerned is huge,” said Hughes, pointing to the poor visibility issues and crumbling infrastructure on Bell School Line.

Race Director Craig Fagan of Midweek Cycling said scrapping the Milton event all together will be “disastrously difficult.” 

“This is by far the most prestigious event. It is what determines who is going to be selected to represent Canada at the Olympics.”   He said Appleby Line is the circuit’s “key climb.”

“That’s what really sets the national champion apart. The women will be climbing that hill eight times and it really determines who’s the strongest.”

He added that riders from as far as Quebec have been spending their weekends in Milton to train for the race. The event is considered a primer for the Canadian Olympic qualifier.

Currently, the women’s race (nine circuits) is set for 10 a.m. to noon and the men’s race (14 circuits) from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The route begins at Rattlesnake Point, travels northbound on Appleby Line, east on No. 14 Side Road, south on Bell School Line, and west on Britannia Road.

Fagan said about 5,000 racers and spectators will descend on Milton to watch the race. With major artillery roads being closed to traffic on and off throughout the day, the committee said traffic snarls are certain. 

During the meeting, Councillor Colin Best suggested the race times be changed — the women’s 2.5-hour race in the early morning and the men’s 4.5-hour race in the evening.  “I have no problem with riders starting at 7 a.m. or earlier if that’s what we need to do to get things done,” said Fagan.

However, he added that four hours of prep time would be needed prior to each race, which could cause noise concerns for neighbours.

Insp. Ivan L’Ortye of Halton police, who’s coordinating police during the paid-duty event, said traffic will be moving in the same direction of the race with left turns on the circuit prohibited.

“The underlying theme is we don’t want to mix cyclists and cars. We want this to be well-choreographed,” he said. “Obviously I think there will be significant delays, but we don’t feel it’s safe to have northbound traffic on the course.”

Mayor Gord Krantz asked Fagan about possibly compensating Springridge for the potential loss of business due to the race.

However, Fagan pointed out that with events of this scale, in many cases municipalities pay for the event to come to town.

“These events tend to turn around and deliver. In Halton, that will be one-point-something million dollars coming back to the community, which we don’t get a piece of. We haven’t asked the municipality for any financial aid.”

The committee delayed voting on the cycling championships until Town staff work with organizers and Springridge to determine if a new time for the race is possible. The report will have to go council for approval before the June 25 race is permitted. 

So with the committee’s decision to delay the vote, it will provide the parties involved with the opportunity to come to a compromise with the start time to accommodate Springridge Farms regular business hours.  As John Hughes stated, that day is the farms busiest day in revenue terms and it would have a severe hit on their business.

I hope that they can come to a resolution, but still there is no doubt the traffic issues will be intense.  Other concerns brought up at the meeting by Councillor Lunau was the condition of the road.  Bell School Line hasn’t undergone a major repair since the last race in 2007.  The race organizer assured council that these are “semi-pro’s” and they know how to handle themselves on rougher terrain.  With cyclists flying down the road at speeds of “80-90 km/hr” the risk is still there for a disaster to happen.

Another issue that came up was the fact local residents were not informed of the race route during the planning stages of the event.  One area resident spoke up during the meeting letting their concerns be known and as far as I know, they plan on speaking again when the report comes before committee.

How should these “world class” races be planned in the future?  Should their routes be approved by the local municipality before they are advertised around the world?  As Mr Fagan said, people from all over will “descend” upon Milton to practice for the race, which will bring in revenue for the town.  Whether this race goes through or not, I would make a suggestion to the race organizers to pay closer attention to the local residents and possibly submit their race plans/routes BEFORE they begin their advertising campaigns.  This way it wont look like the municipality is backed into a corner to approve a race mere weeks before it begins.

I will await the updated report on negotiations and council will make its decision at that point.

Here’s a little weekend reading for you.  I thought given the intense desire on the part of many councillors for this report, they would have it up on their sites as well (hint hint )

Over the course of the last municipal campaign and in fact over the past several years people have asked what we can do to stop speeding and make our streets safer.  Million dollar question.

Do we put more police on the streets for enforcement purposes?  Are speed bumps the answer?  How can we narrow a road like Scott (Expressway as its been called) Blvd to get people to slow down, especially in school zones?

Town staff has returned a report that will be tabled at the Community Services Standing Committee this coming Monday night at Town Hall.  I haven’t had the time to review it myself in detail (thats my homework for this weekend!) and I wanted to provide the link for you to download and read the report.

Here is the link to the agendafor Mondays meeting.  There will also be a number of quarterly reports for 2010 from a number of departments including the Fire Department, Community Services, and Engineering Services as well.  Other consent items include the Nassagaweya Tennis Club lease agreement, Milton Farmers Market agreement, and other staff reports on implementing all way stops at some intersections (Mowatt & Coates – Scott Blvd & Pringle).  There will also be some presentations on the towns “Move More Milton” program and the concept design of Milton’s Fire Hall #3.

Here is the link to the traffic calming report from Town of Milton staff.

Residents are invited to speak to the committee by letting the town clerk know before 10AM on Monday and stand as a delegation.  That means YOU have homework too!

Feel free to comment here or send me an email to mike@mikecluett.ca with your comments that I can direct to the committee on your behalf if you cant make it Monday.  Of course you can also follow along at home by watching the meeting online (sounds nice to say that finally)  I’ll put the link off to the right hand side for easy reference.

Getting back to the traffic calming ideas, the easiest solution to making our streets safer for drivers and pedestrians alike is for people to drive with care and abide by the speed limits, avoid illegal passing on streets, and to take more caution when driving.  Most drivers do these things, but its the few that cause issues and concerns with Milton residents.

Will all of these solutions be perfect for Milton?  Likely not.  Each area in question will have to be assessed separately and not just cookie cutter solutions for all.  As the report outlines, there are costs involved in each of these measures and will require extensive training of drivers in town to get used to them once/if they are implemented.

So take some time to review the report, submit your questions or concerns to me, or your councillor if you like, and watch the meeting on Monday night starting at 7pm.

I’ll see you at the meeting.

In case you missed the last council meeting, its now available on demand from the Town of Milton website.

Monday February 28th, 2011 Milton Council Meeting

From the Milton Canadian Champion

Milton Police Blotter

Shortly after 12:30 a.m. last Thursday, a pick-up truck was seen by police driving dangerously at Thompson and Derry roads.

Soon after, police say, the vehicle left the road and swiped a curb before coming back onto the road. 

When signaled to do so, police say, the truck didn’t stop, but it was eventually halted after police cruisers boxed it in on Bolingbroke Drive. 

A 20-year-old Port Elgin resident was charged with dangerous driving, flight from police and over 80.

Car wedged between house, tree

A 31-year-old Milton man has been charged with impaired driving and over 80 after a four-door Mazda became wedged between a tree and a home’s bay window at 1:45 a.m. yesterday.

The incident occurred on Churchill Avenue. There were no injuries and the house was largely undamaged.

Man charged with impaired

A 45-year-old Milton resident was charged with impaired driving and over 80 after police stopped a vehicle driving erratically on Commercial Street.

The incident occurred at about 1 a.m. December 15.

Police dogs used to track suspect

A man was arrested in a break-in into a fenced area behind a shop Sunday near Steeles Avenue.

Police dogs were used to help track a suspect.

A 28-year-old Hamilton man is charged with possessing burglary tools.

Delivery vehicle stolen

Friday between 10 and 10:27 a.m., a delivery vehicle from Dimpflmeier Bakery was stolen from the rear of the Loblaw Superstore while making a delivery.

The white panel van valued at $10,000 was a day later recovered in Fergus.

Car left warming up stolen

On Saturday, shortly after midnight, a vehicle left warming up for five minutes with the keys in the ignition was stolen.

The dark blue, four-door, Honda Civic is valued at $10,000 and had license plates BBPY 653.

Police are investigating.

Wallet stolen

On Friday between 9:15 and 9:45 a.m., a woman’s pink wallet was stolen from a car that was parked in a lot at Thompson Road and Main Street. 

The wallet contained cash, credit cards, a driver’s licence and a health card.

There was no sign of forced entry, police say.

Vehicle drives through R.I.D.E. spot check

A 42-year-old Milton man was charged with over 80 and impaired driving last Friday at 9:30 p.m.

Police say the charges came after a vehicle drove through a R.I.D.E. spot check on Bronte Street, south of Steeles Avenue.

(As noted by a previous post, there have been an increase in thefts from vehicles both locked and unlocked in the Ward 6 area.  In one day 10 vehicles were broken into.  Make sure you keep your valuables inside your home, instead of in your car.  I was also a victim of this crime recently.  The more we do to prevent this, the more they move on.  Hopefully Halton Police will find these criminals!)

Ten thefts from vehicles in day

Ten vehicles on local streets were broken into Tuesday.

The streets included Irving Terrace, Deacon Drive, Zimmerman Crescent, Clarke Boulevard, Hearst Boulevard, Gordon Heights, Ferguson Drive and McDermott Way.

Police are investigating.

File this one under REALLY?  So far this year Halton Police have laid almost 300 impaired driving charges. 

“Halton police report that since Jan. 1, 2010, 295 drivers on Halton roads have been arrested for impaired driving. A total of 123 impaired charges have been laid in Burlington followed by 87 in Oakville, 49 in Milton and 36 in Halton Hills. Police say that of the 13 traffic fatalities recorded in the region this year, alcohol was a contributing factor in four of them.”

It seems that with the increased awareness of the problem and more RIDE programs set in place, some people are not getting the message.  13 people in Halton died unnecessarily in my opinion.  Drinking and driving is totally preventable.  Just dont do it!

After our Milton Community Policing Committee meeting earlier this week, Const. Floyd said that Halton Police will be starting the RIDE program for this holiday season and will be out in full force.

It doesnt take that much of an extra effort to do the right thing.  The Champion article outlines a number of things you can do to help make our roads safer.

• If you plan to drive, don’t drink

• Choose a sober designated driver before partying

• Take public transit, a taxi or ask a friend to drive you home

• Spend the night where the activity is being held

• Immediately report impaired drivers to police

• Always wear your seat belt

Do the right thing…and help make this holiday season safer for everyone.  There are very few people who have had their lives affected by drinking & driving.  Either you know someone personally or know of someone who has lost a friend or loved one due to this totally preventable crime.

If you see someone who shouldnt be driving, try to stop them.  If not, call 911.  You could be saving a life!

And continuing with my previous post on Lock it or Lose it here is another article from the Milton Canadian Champion on unattended vehicles being stolen from peoples driveways.

Unattended, idling vehicles become stolen vehicles: police

Don’t let that warm car result in a cold walk this winter.As the Christmas season and the cold weather have returned, Halton Regional Police are issuing reminders to residents about precautionary measures they can take to prevent their valuables, including their vehicle, from being stolen.

Police say that between Nov. 3, 2009 and Jan. 14, 2010, 25 vehicles were stolen in Halton that had been left unattended and idling by their owners. Fifteen of those thefts occurred in Milton in the Derry Road community.

In Milton, leaving a vehicle unattended with the engine running is illegal under a town by-law and could result in a $75 fine.  An unattended running vehicle that is locked, even if it is in your driveway or in your garage, is still a target for thieves.

Police also warn about leaving car doors open or any items in plain view wherever you park your vehicle.

“Crimes of opportunity occur when we don’t take the necessary precautions such as locking our vehicles and placing items out of sight,” said a Halton police press release.

While there is no guarantee against becoming a victim of vehicle theft, or having your vehicle broken into, Halton police offer the following safety tips:

• Park in well-lit and attended areas

• Never leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running. Turn off the ignition and take the keys with you

• Always lock all doors and windows

• Never leave personal identification or valuables in your vehicle. Lock all valuables in the trunk. Don’t tempt thieves by leaving packages, cameras or purses in plain view

• Remove GPS navigation and cellphone devices when not in your vehicle

• Mount CD and MP3 players inconspicuously

• If you have a garage, use it and lock your car

• Never hide a spare key in your car

For more crime prevention ideas, visit www.haltonpolice.ca and follow the link to Community Policing.

And to illustrate this even further, here is this weeks Milton Police Blotter from the Champion.

BMW stolen while left warming

A 2006 BMW 325 valued at $30,000 was stolen from a driveway after the owner left it idling before his drive to work.  The incident on Huffman Crescent took place at 5:15 a.m. Monday.

Computer equipment taken from school

Overnight Monday, a portable classroom at St. Peter Catholic Elementary School on Dixon Drive was broken into.  During the incident a laptop computer and two Alpha Smart keyboards were taken.  Their estimated value is $2,200.

Car stolen during the day

A 2008 white Ford Edge was taken between noon and 9 p.m. November 17.  The car had been parked on Main Street East.

Its been over 10 months since I began my campaign to become the local councillor for ward 6.  On January 11, 2010 I visited town hall and filed my nomination papers and started what was to become a tiring, yet satisfying campaign.

Over these past 10 months I have met many of you, a couple of times over, and heard what issues you find to be important.  In this time I spoke about 3 main things…responsible financial management, neighbourhood safety and accountability.

The first item of business for the new council will be to review the 2011 budget which has a projected 6.91% increase to the mill rate.  You have told me you want value for your dollar and you want your taxes spent wisely and this rate increase is simply too much.  Council needs to review line by line each item in the budget so we can see whats working, what isn’t working and where we can find savings.  I have made the promise I wont support the 2011 budget if the increase is over the rate of inflation.  I hope my council colleagues will work hard over that budget process to see if we can find the savings and give you value for your tax dollar.

We’ve talked about neighbourhood safety at length as well.  Im glad my opponent has been reading my blog since he started his campaign mid September and now understands this is an important issue.  Over the months and in fact the last few years, I have been talking about the importance of neighbourhood safety on our roads.  The town of Milton wants to become a pedestrian friendly town, but we need to look at options like traffic calming devices and other ways to slow down vehicles in the residential area so that all pedestrians are safer.  We’ve discussed the idea of a signalled crosswalk near Kennedy Circle and Thompson Road as there are people who would like to take advantage of the great splash pad and soccer fields on one side or others to go to Shoppers Drug Mart or Metro or the Dollar Blitz to shop without packing the kids in the car to travel less than 500 metres.  Over the next four years I want to bring these ideas forward and I need your input and help to get it done.

Last but not least, we talked extensively about accountability.  About being there when you call or email and giving you a quick response.  Ive promised, as I have done over the last 4 years, to update you on whats going on in Milton, at Town Hall, and how it affects you using this website/blog and other forms of social media like Facebook & Twitter.  During some important council meetings  you can find me sending updates through Twitter on what was going on, and when the decisions are made.  Its something I will do my best to continue as councillor, even though I’ll be sitting at the table, Ill make sure you can follow along.  Either by Twitter or what we hope to do is stream the meetings online so you can see whos working for you and asking the questions that need to be asked.

So now the brochures have been delivered and the doors have been knocked on and I’ve done my best to meet as many of you as I could over the last 10 months.  I leave it in your hands to make the decision on who you feel is the best candidate to represent all Miltonians at the council table.  If you havent made that crucial decision yet, I ask that you review my website and that of my opponents and see who has the plan for a better Milton.

You can vote today starting now at 10AM to 8 PM tonight.  If you live north of Clark Blvd in Ward 6 you will be voting at Guardian Angels on Bennett Blvd – and if you live south of Clark Blvd you will be voting at Hawthorne Village School also on Bennett Blvd.

If you have any last minute questions, call my cell (647) 888-9032!

Thank you everyone for making this a fun campaign.  Ive enjoyed meeting everyone and discussing the issues and while some of us disagreed we still came to the conclusion that the dialogue needs to continue and we need to work together to make Milton a better place.  I am humbled by the support I’ve received and the pledges of support and the volunteers who have worked endlessly to help me get the message out and for that Im eternally grateful.

I’ll update the blog once the polls close and the results come in.  Afterwards I will be at Ned Devines celebrating with other candidates, supporters, friends and family so feel free to drop by tonight (I’ll be there roughly after 9ish) and say HI!

Until then….I’ll see you at the polls.

It’s another long weekend in Milton. Schools are all out and kids are running around their homes as we speak trying to find something to keep them busy. I know Anthony is ready to do something … and fast. That’s why I love the summer. He loves it too, like driving his bike to the park and playing basketball and soccer with his friends too. As a parent of a very energetic 7 year old boy, I worry about his safety, like other parents do, even more around this time of year.

It was just only a few short weeks ago when young lives were extinguished over a weekend because of speeding, careless driving and other road issues. Lets hope and pray that this Canada Day weekend wont have the same tragic results for other families.

I was taking a few moments to go to one of my favourite sites www.hawthornevillager.com to look at some of the posts in its highly successful forum. In case you haven’t visited it, hundreds of people who live in Milton post there daily, comments about the town, and other general items. One of the pastimes on the forum is to raise issues like speeding in our neighbourhoods.

We all see it happen on a regular basis and some just don’t know what to do about it. I live off Yates Drive east of Thompson road and I experience the speeders almost daily. I know there are also a number of different intersections and streets in town that suffer from the same problem.

I’ve written here many times about the intersection of Yates Drive and March Crossing being the location of 3 collisions in less than a year and how many of the residents in the area asking for either a 4 way stop or something that will encourage people to slow down. Those requests have been answered by letters from the town staff saying traffic counts are too low and stop signs aren’t speed controls and the list goes on.

Reading one of the topics on the Hawthorne Villager recently, proves to me the problems haven’t been addressed or solved in the two years since this new council took office. I have talked with many people in our area and other areas of town and they have all complained about the inaction of our council representatives. The town seems to be more interested in telling us that they are doing an “outstanding job” than actually DOING an outstanding job.

Whats being done about this isn’t working. The more we seem to “ask” others to be more considerate, the more its being ignored. I mean, other peoples lives are more important and if they deem themselves to be above others, they are going to continue.

To the folks who fly up Yates (both sides) rushing from dropping their kids off to school feel that it will save them time to get where THEY are going, they’ll continue to drive at speeds topping 70km/h (yes unofficial spot checks prove this). Its all about the “ME” instead of the “US” that it should be.

And from personal experience talking to a lot of people during the election a couple of years ago, these same people I see driving down the streets at excessive speeds, a LOT of them told me road safety was one of their important issues. They know who they are…I wont name names.

The town refuses to consider lowering the speed limits in residential areas because it will frustrate drivers and make them speed more (HUH? Ive never got that logic) The town refuses to consider stop signs in high traffic intersections because unnecessary stop signs frustrate drivers and will lead to more abuse.

Lower the speed limits, raise the fines. Hit people in the pocketbook because it seems logic and reason doesnt work with many of the offenders. Ive noticed on Yates a slight improvement in the speed levels…there are always people who will ignore the rules and do what they want.

If you get tagged for a $200 fine for speeding on a residential street,will you think twice before flooring it to save a few seconds at a light? I know I would.

I would hope that logic and reason wins in these cases, as we all live in these homes, and we all either have kids or know someone who has kids and we want them to be safe…but in the same breath, they fly down streets at excessive speeds putting people at risk.

Last election I mentioned that town council has lost its focus on certain issues like growth, taxation and community safety. Its sad to say that nothing seems to have changed. We can email the councillors as much as we want…I know of several people on our street and others who have sent Brian and Rick an email or phone call only to have silence be their only answer.

What frustrates drivers is the actions of a few impacting everyone else. I don’t know about you but id rather piss off someone who’s driving 80 down my street if it helps those who obey the laws be less frustrated.

Happy Canada Day everyone! Safe travels!

I was getting ready to go to the last official meeting of the Milton 150th Anniversary committee around 630pm when I heard some weird sounds and then a smash.

Oh no, not again I thought and hoped for the best as I made my way to front porch. So much for hoping.

There was another accident at Yates Drive and March Crossing last night between 2 vehicles…one coming out of March Crossing turning east towards Bennett and the other traveling on Yates towards Bennett. One driver was taking her family to the Hawthorne Village PS Holiday Sing a Long when, according to her, the car came through the stop sign and hit her on the drivers side front wheel, causing some significant damage.

Road conditions were fine at that time with little no snow and the roads were a bit wet.

My neighbour Wally and I did what we could to help them out and thankfully no one was hurt in this case.

We have had several near misses and now 3 accidents in the last year at this intersection and nothing seems to have been done. You might remember an article in the Champion about this intersection and how the town was going to do some further studies.

Its only a matter of time before something worse happens or someone is injured or killed.

Changing rules takes time…I understand that but as I mentioned last night “you cant legislate common sense.”

Its been said so many times here on this blog and in letters to the editor that our residential streets are not raceways and yet still people fly down the street. Just after the cars were moved to the side of the road a car few up our street at way over the speed limit and drove through the stop sign at Bennett. Unfortunately we didnt get the plate number, but from our location I did see that same car go down Irving Terrace just after.

When youre driving towards an intersection, regardless of stop signs or not, you have to approach it with caution and look out for other cars. This was a totally avoidable accident and shouldnt have happened.

I know that the majority of people I have spoken with over the course of the last year after the election have told me they agree with my stand on doing something, whether it be stop signs, speed bumps or reducing speed limits. But something has to be done.

Maybe reducing speed limits wont accomplish much, but if they get nailed by the police doing 60km/h instead of 40km/h, the fine will be a lot more, and MAYBE they might think twice. Sad to say but I feel I’m losing faith that something will change.

If you agree that something has to be done at this or any other location in town, please do your part. Write a letter to the editor of the Milton Canadian Champion and the Halton Compass…write a letter to your councillors and the Town of Milton…take down the plate numbers of people who you feel are not driving safely and send them to the Halton Police department…go to the website www.haltonroadwatch.ca and find out what more we can do to stop this. The more people get away with this the more it will continue.

***NOTE*** The link to Halton Road Watch seems to be down and not working.