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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, April 20, 2012 · 14 Future traffic dictates road improvement plan Continued from page 8 level of service, which will affect the level of safety, emergency vehicle response, convenience and vehicle emissions. Quinn said he and many other residents do not see the situation this way. "The residents attending the meeting didn't see why our road (Upper Middle Road), which is already quite a busy street, should have to accommodate growth in other areas of the region," said Quinn. "We are still in the development stage of Dundas. Why are they not making that a wider road in order to accommodate future traffic? With the development north of Dundas, there are plans to grow Burnhamthorpe Road. Right now they are proposing that as a four-lane road. Why not make it a six-lane road for future development?" Quinn also listed improving the QEW as another possible option for dealing with future traffic volume. This option, he said, would be far better than encouraging more traffic to use Upper Middle Road, which is what the Region would be doing, he said, by widening it. "Right now, the plan goes from Neyagawa to Ford Drive. That's the area they're looking at. "Major congestion on the QEW seems to be the major reason why we get that peak traffic on Upper Middle Road during the rush hours. We have noticed that with the introduction of the HOV lanes on the QEW, traffic here has decreased slightly. We think working with the Ministry of Transportation on the major arteries might be something the Region should look into before disrupting neighbourhoods." Anthony Quinn, Oakville resident When you cross that Upper Middle Road bridge you're back down to two lanes on either side. These future plans are going to cause a bottleneck on either side, close to Ford Drive and close to Neyagawa," said Quinn. "Major congestion on the QEW seems to be the major reason why we get that peak traffic on Upper Middle Road during the rush hours. We have noticed that with the introduction of the HOV lanes on the QEW, traffic here has decreased slightly. We think working with the Ministry of Transportation on the major arteries might be something the Region should look into before disrupting neighbourhoods." In the event road expansion for Upper Middle Road is the option Regional council decides to go with, Halton Region's Transportation Master Plan recommends the widening begin in 2015 for the Grand Boulevard to Ninth Line/Ford Drive section; 2016 for the Neyagawa Boulevard to Trafalgar Road section; and 2026 for the Trafalgar Road to Grand Boulevard section, with interim improvements taking place prior to widening. Ward 6 Town and Regional Councillor Tom Adams said the reason for the staggered construction dates is because the projected growth, and therefore the need for additional transportation capacity, are also staggered. "My preference has always been not to have road widening. I have always been concerned about widening, particularly where there are existing residents and in constricted right-of-way areas," said Adams. "I do see the need for some localized improvements and that can be a variety of things from improving signal areas, turning areas. There are a bunch of other things that can happen in an environmental assessment besides just widening." Ward 5 Town and Regional Councillor Jeff Knoll also weighed in on the issue. "I'm keeping an open mind to see how the environmental assessment process unfolds and what the ultimate conclusions are. I don't want to presuppose a final conclusion as to the best way to deal with the issue. I am monitoring the situation, I understand the need," said Knoll. "I suspect at the end of the day, this expansion will happen. How it happens and how it is mitigated for the community will probably be the bigger challenge. Whatever the outcome is, we're going to make sure the existing residents are impacted as nominally as possible." Another public information meeting regarding this subject will take place in the fall of 2012. Regional staff expect to file their Environmental Study Report on this matter during winter 2013. It is anticipated Regional council will be asked for its approval of the recommended road improvement options in March or April 2013. In an effort to get more Upper Middle Road residents involved in this process, Quinn is asking people to contact him at uppermiddleroad@ gmail.com. He has also set up a Facebook account at www. facebook.com/StopUpperMiddleRoadWidening. Adams said the Region is looking for residents to take part in a stakeholder committee concerning the possible Upper Middle Road changes. Those interested can contact the Region's Senior Transportation Planner Jeffrey Reid at 905825-6000, ext. 7920 or jeffrey.reid@halton.ca.