Old Town bus to steer clear of John and Simcoe streets

The bus through the Old Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake will be rerouted temporarily to avoid two narrow residential streets, despite a recommendation from town staff to maintain the status quo.

On Monday, town council voted in favour of a six-month pilot project to use the major arteries of Mary and Mississagua streets instead of John and Simcoe streets in response to safety concerns expressed by residents at an October meeting.

Simcoe Street resident Judi Megarity had presented a petition to council with 30 signatures, saying that heavy traffic on weekdays on the side streets due to construction and commercial vehicle usage makes it difficult for pedestrians and cyclists to navigate around them.

Megarity said that Mary Street is wider and has bicycle lanes, large boulevards and sidewalks. She added that a route change would be easier for tourists to access the commercial area along Mary Street.

A staff report to the town’s op- erations advisory committee last week recommended that councillors not approve the request for rerouting the buses between the community centre and the

Pillar and Post for several reasons. Engineering technologist Marci Weston reported that development in the neighbourhood has likely increased the number of large vehicles on John Street, but this is a temporary situation. She said that buses comprise only 1.5 per cent of the traffic on the street, so rerouting would not significantly reduce risks to pedestrians and cyclists.

“With delays caused by high seasonal traffic loads on Niagara Stone Road, the Region’s refusal to permit a bus stop on Mississagua Street near Mary Street and safety concerns regarding the installation of a bus stop at the Mary/King intersection, the proposed reroute will be less safe and time efficient than the current transit route,” Weston reported.

She said staff has also received feedback from several residents who would be directly affected by the proposed rerouting. According to Weston, they were not contacted during the petition process and are opposed to a route change. “The winter months are the most hazardous for residents walking on John and Simcoe streets,” said Coun. Betty Disero in response to the staff report. “They are asking for a six-month pilot project and I can’t see why we would be denying this.” Coun. Jim Collard had argued last week that the current route is the most direct one and he felt that the proposed change would reduce ridership. At the council meeting Monday, the route change for a sixmonth trial basis was approved with Collard and Coun. Jamie King opposed. The Niagara-on-the-Lake transit routes are under review by staff. Route changes to serve a wider geographic area, particularly in the Old Town, are included in the staff study.