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WYnw.durhamvcoion.com THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, May 19,2004 PAGE 7 Regional council recently allocated $402 million for roads REGIONAL from page 1 if you add together all the lanes -- plus 220 bridges and culverts. (".During the afternoon rush hour in 2p01, around 87 per cent of Durham residents travelled those roads by automobile, automobile, compared to 6 per cent by transit transit and 7 per cent by other modes. If this trend continues, the number of automobile trips will increase to 480,200 during the peak period of an average day in 2021, up from 249,000 in 2001, says the Region's transportation master plan. J "This forecast amount of growth in automobile travel is almost double 2001 volumes -- a trend that is clearly not sustainable," the plan reads. That's a huge amount of stress on Qurham's roadways, and scary news for aEregion that's forecast to hit 850,000 people in 17 years. .'."It's obvious to many people that traffic congestion lias gone up in the past five years because of unprecedented unprecedented growth," said Gene Chartier, manager manager of transportation planning and design for the Region. "There's been a lot of pressure to maintain them, but roads compete with all departments."' Regional council recently allocated $40.2 million for regional roads in 2004, and', that's on top of what each of Durham's eight municipalities will spend on local roads. It's 7:30 a.m. and Mr. McMillan has barely started his commute, when traffic on the 401 lurches to a stop. He's made , it from Simcoe Street to Brock Street in Whitby before applying the brakes. For. the next 20 minutes, he crawls through Ajax before the highway opens up again at Brock Road in Pickering. Mr. McMillan is a recruiter for ING in Toronto, and his cellphone is his mobile office. "If 1 was doing it just to go in and sit at a desk each day, it would be a tad frustrating," he says. "But a lot of it you don't notice" being on the phone. Mr. Chartier pulls a giant map of Durham from behind his desk. He outlines outlines imminent and essential road projects projects that must be done: Brock Road in Pickering, Bayly/Victoria Street in Ajax and Whitby, and Taunton Road across the entire region. Seeing the words and numbers on paper is one thing. Sitting in traffic while they're being constructed is another. another. "It's one of the casualties of growth," Mr. Chartier said. Congestion is the norm in bustling urban centres, but it's an oddity in mral areas. Not so in Durham. "Who ever would have thought 10 years ago that we would have traffic jams in Uxbridge," said Mayor Gerri Lynn O'Connor. "People are finding more rural routes to go versus getting caught in the congestion." Mr. McMillan still has another 45 minutes to his commute and it's 8:15 a.m. "I used to work right downtown. I always always took the train. It was great," he says. "But now, being in midtown Yonge and Eglinton, it's just a horrendous horrendous place to get to. There's no other way (but to drive)." Asked to look out his window, Mr. McMillan says 90 to 95 per cent of the other drivers are alone in their cars -- a phenomenon that municipalities in the GTA are trying so hard to combat. Before moving to Oshawa, the McMillan family was in Atlanta, Ga. Hwy. 285, which rings the city, has a high-occupancy, vehicle (HOV) lane. Cars with more than two people, inside, motorcycles;:buses and hybridj or fuel-,,, efficient, vehicles could all travel in the . HOV lane. "The HOV jane could save you 20 minutes to a half-hour each morning," Mr. McMillan said. Durham houses several provincial highways: the 401, highways 7, .12, 2 and 47 . Some of them were downloaded to the Region in 1997. The proposed extension extension of Hwy. 407 -- if it ever goes ahead -- falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Transportation. "All those roads have been neglected and lack the attention and funding needed...in needed...in a region growing as fast as Durham," said Mr. Anderson. "At one time, we were told it was because because we didn't have cabinet ministers. Then, we were told because we had cabinet cabinet ministers, we can't put a lot of money there. So I don't know what it is." The Province does have plans for Durham, although many of them have been on the books for decades. They include include widening of the 401 from Brock Road in Pickering to Oshawa, two new interchanges at Stevenson and Lak- eridge roads, new signals and grade reductions reductions at Hwy. 7A in Port Perry, plus upgrades to highways 12, 48 and 35/115. Mr. Chartier is particularly concerned concerned about the 407 coming to Durham. "If the 407 wasn't to materialize...the rate of growth in Durham would probably probably be impacted," Mr. Chartier said. "It's a pretty big element of the urban structure." structure." Mr. Anderson agreed. . "Our job growth, our corporate growth, essential industries moving into Durham are substantially restricted (by the 407 not being extended)," he said. As for the perception that the Province seems blind to Durham? "We are equally committed to relieving relieving traffic congestion...whether it be the east or the west of the province," said Danna O'Brien, spokesman for transportation transportation Minister Harinder Takhar. The minister, was said to be too busy to talk with a reporter. • But Mr. Anderson feels the future is bright. "Minister Takhar has been very, very generous with his time with Durham," he said. "He does sound like he wants to talk." Luckily, Mr. McMillan only has to commute three or four days a week. It's just after 8 a.m. and he still has to squeeze onto the Don Valley Parkway and inch his way to Eglinton Avenue. Mrs. McMillan takes various back roads to her job in Markham. She spends around 50 to 55 minutes in the family's Ford Explorer. Mr. McMillan drives a Chrysler Intrepid. 'But having to spend an arm and a leg for a house somewhere else? It's worth it for us," Mr. McMillan says. Next month: Transit health & wellness, naturally! BOWMANVILLE 243 King St. E Bowmanville Mall 905.697.9484 OSHAWA I OSHAWA II 1330 Ritson Rcl. N 1345 King St. E 905.432.6999 905.725.4146 visit us online @ www.herbalmagic.ca save Broil King®'Monarch 10' gas grill 44,000 total BTU. 500 sq. in. total cooking surface including warming rack, moa Sears reg; 329.99.289.99 Whole Home® 'St. Tropez' 14-pc. sling patio set Consists of six high-back 5-position sling chairs, 2 ottomans, 40 x 66" table, 18" lazy Susan, two 20" side tables, 9' market umbrella, cast-iron base. Non-rust aluminum tubing. #90965. 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