Road extension is needed badly

Re: Mer Bleue wetland threatened by road proposal, field naturalists say, July 16.

The Brian Cobourn Boulevard extension is desperately needed by more than 20,000 Orléans South residents and has been studied extensively by experts, under the auspices of the Ministry of the Environment. The president of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists Club, Jacob Mueller, quoted in your story, is not one of these experts.

The extension does not travel through the Mer

Bleue bog. For the most part, the proposed routing follows the existing, vastly overcapacity Renaud Road, designed for 300 vehicles per hour but currently being used by more than 750. It cuts through the Mer Bleue RAMSAR boundary. In the city's draft assessment of alternatives, Option 7 would use and improve Renaud, moving 19,000 cars daily away from this.

The proposed road and essential transitway would take most of the traffic off the RAMSAR area, eliminate two Mud Creek crossings and increase the buffer area to Mer Bleue. The route travels through scrubland, not Mer Bleue wetland. The result would have less impact on the ecological health of Mer Bleue.

The proposed road/transitway in Option 7 does not impact any core natural areas.

The proposed option, when linked with the planned Innes-Walkley connector, will greatly reduce the number of vehicles travelling southbound on Anderson Road by more than 4,200 cars per day. It will reduce CO2 emissions by some 660 to 750 tons annually.

The proposed routing will solve much of the ever-increasing transportation issues in the east end and reduce the impact on Mer Bleue and the environment. The transitway aspect of the route will provide long-awaited and much more efficient service for commuters to the Blair LRT. It is supported by the Friends of Mer Bleue, all the east-end councillors and our MP, for these reasons and more. Heather Buchanan, member, Bradley Estates Community Association, Orléans