Consider health risks Parkway may pose

Living next to a major arterial road is not only bothersome, but it is also dangerous to one’s health. Recent research from Public Health Ontario and researchers at the University of Toronto have concluded that traffic and dementia are correlated. The title of the research paper is “Living near major traffic linked to higher risk of dementia.”

What this paper found more specifically is the people living within 50 meters of the 401 have an incidence of dementia that is 7 per cent higher than those people living 300 meters from the 401. The proposed Parkway is not the 401. So is this really relevant? I say Yes! There is plenty of evidence that traffic noise affects health. The expected traffic noise levels along the Parkway will be between 55 and 60 decibels. In a few cases the noise levels are projected to exceed 60 decibels. These are the figures from Peterborough Parkway Class Environmental Assessment Study Traffic Noise Impact Assessment. It was published in January 2014 by AECOM.

Research by Toronto Public Health, and WHO (World Health Organization) have found that noise levels start having adverse affects, such as sleep disturbance, at 32 decibels. A more detailed discussion can be found in a paper published by Toronto Public Health in April 2017 titled “How Loud Is TOO LOUD, Health Impacts of Environmental Noise in Toronto.” Some of the problems that kick in at 50 decibels are: hypertension, stress hormones, learning and memory.

We are a growing city. The fact that the city’s infrastructure will need to adapt is not a big mental leap. Still in encouraging growth and change, our council needs to make sure any new development, and infrastructure does not negatively impact the health of our city’s residents. In the case of the Parkway, this is a project that is long in tooth.

Since its inception, and planning a lot of research has come to light that shows a likelihood that it will adversely affect the health of people living adjacent to it. Rather than trying to jam this project through, our council should embrace the new research, and incorporate it into the city’s planning process. John Kaufman Sophia St.