Webster’s weekend shuttle set for launch

After being stalled by fierce public opposition last fall, a private shuttle service to Webster’s Falls on weekends and holidays is ready to shift into gear with the help of some additional street parking restrictions in the area.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority says the service from Mizener’s Antiques and Flea Market on Highway 5 will begin on May 6 and run until Oct. 29, closing parking lots at Webster’s and Tew falls on days when buses are operating.

Visitors will pay $10 to park at Mizener’s — located about four kilometres away — and $5 each for a wristband giving them access to Webster’s and all other authority parks for the day, other than the water park and pool at Confederation Beach.

Chief administrative officer Lisa Burnside said she’s optimistic the bus service will help relieve the traffic and parking woes plaguing Webster’s in recent years, driven largely by out-of-town visitors eager to see the park’s two falls.

She said new parking restrictions on neighbouring streets since last fall and the promise of bylaw enforcement helped convince operator Think Greensville to proceed this year.

“It might not be perfection, but we have to try something to alleviate the traffic congestion that’s happening in Greensville,” Burnside said.

“Then we can evaluate and reflect on what’s working, what’s not working about it. We’re planning to do some visitor surveys as well to gauge customer reaction, satisfaction with the experience.”

Think Greensville’s website states the parking lot will open at 9:30 a.m., with the first shuttle to Webster’s and Tew a half-hour later. Buses will run every 15 minutes, with the final return one at 6:30 p.m.

“This is going to be a real mess,” said Mark Osborne, member of a Greensville residents group that helped scuttle last fall’s launch, predicting people will still park by Webster’s even if it means getting a ticket.

He said the 3,000 wristbands Think Greensville can sell each day are also too many. His group favours a shuttle from Christie Lake Conservation Area and a cap on Webster’s visitors, although he’s not sure what that “magic number” should be. “We see things getting worse, not better with this private shuttle,” Osborne said.