Elmira Traffic Bypass

[rangersfan]

The conversation has started up again about creating a traffic bypass around the town. Residents say a substantial amount of the traffic using Arthur St is not stopping in town.



http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/mobile/2-opt...-1.2729894

[Elmira Guy]

As someone who was raised in Elmira, and still has a great deal of contact with the town through family and friends living there, and my extensive involvement with a volunteer group there, I think a bypass around the town is silly and unnecessary.

This originates from a very small but vocal group of residents. How exactly would the town benefit by 25% less traffic? Downtown Elmira is already small for a town with it's population. Does the BIA really want less through-traffic?
Sure, it would be better if truck traffic just passing though didn't go through downtown, but it won't just be trucks that take the detour,

The argument presented in the article about her concern for "children walking to the nearby high school" ... gimme a break! First off, the high school is on the same side of the main street as the overwhelming majority of the residential areas, and there are three crosswalks across main street, all of them downtown. Secondly... "children"? Jesus!

Regardless of how unfounded you may think my position is, I can't believe that at very least the owner of the gas station downtown would be in favour of this.

This is an unnecessary waste of money that will have limited, if any positive results. In fact, I think the negative will outweigh any positives.

[tomh009]

They can talk, but Woolwich can't (or won't) fund this on its own anyway. And I can't see that the region would fund this anywhere within the next 10 years.

[Elmira Guy]

Agreed.

It's a silly notion.

[SammyOES]

It's funny to hear Mayor Shantz advocating for this while telling residents of Breslau they need to sell parkland to fund needed park maintenance.

[chutten]

Orangeville's "big truck bypass" seems to be working out for them. (Riddell Road). All of the big box stores were thrilled to finally have friendly allotments they could build on. The downtown seems to still be doing just fine, too.

[Elmira Guy]

Orangeville also has three times the population of Elmira. Elmira has no box stores, nor will it for a very, very long time.
Even though the population of the town has doubled since I was a kid, the amount of retail/commercial growth in that time has been minimal.
I don't see how diverting traffic away from the town is going to benefit local businesses.

[plam]

Orangeville also has three times the population of Elmira. Elmira has no box stores, nor will it for a very, very long time.
Even though the population of the town has doubled since I was a kid, the amount of retail/commercial growth in that time has been minimal.
I don't see how diverting traffic away from the town is going to benefit local businesses.

Not sure that truck traffic through Elmira is beneficial to it. They just make noise.

The obsolescence Route 66 did kill many of the towns it ran through, but that traffic was much more long-haul.

[Elmira Guy]

You're quite correct that truck traffic being diverted around town would in fact be a good thing. But there's nothing to say that non-truck traffic will also take the bypass.
Regardless, I don't think there is sufficient truck traffic to warrant the cost of a bypass.

[dunkalunk]

Floradale Road north of Church St is a country highway with wide lanes and generous paved shoulder. South of Church St, it's narrow and crumbling. Even if it weren't being considered as part of a potential bypass, upgrading the route to be safer and segregate buggy traffic makes quite a bit of sense.

[Elmira Guy]

Yes. The stretch of Floradale Rd from Church St to the "cut off" is in miserable shape and could use some work.