BurlOak
Senior Member
Smells like another gas plant - Liberals reverse their direction of past 5 or 10 years immediately before election for political purposes.
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BurlOak
Senior Member
Smells like another gas plant - Liberals reverse their direction of past 5 or 10 years immediately before election for political purposes.
dowlingm
Senior Member
And the answer will be "roads, roads, roads folks!" (and not just by Doug Ford)
Allandale25
Senior Member
Recent article with quotes from Doug Ford and the Minister. (Cross-posted to the Bypass thread)
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Ontario PC leader Doug Ford promises to relook at GTA West corridor in visit to Caledon gas station
NEWS 12:00 PM by Karen Martin-Robbins Caledon Enterprise
Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford’s election bus rolled into Caledon on Monday, April 23 for a quick visit.
In a five-minute speech, Ford promised, if elected in June, to restart the environmental assessment process on the GTA West Corridor.
“We’re all about building infrastructure in transportation,” Ford said.
After more than a decade of planning and study, in February the provincial government walked away from its GTA West highway plans to pursue a smaller-scaled alternative. The highway through north Peel and Halton would have run near the current 407 toll highway and connected Highway 400 in Vaughan with Highway 407/Highway 401 in the west. Studies have been ongoing since 2007.
At the time, Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones criticized Ontario’s Liberal government for spending more than $14 million before axing the project.
“Our goal is to build more roads and more infrastructure, getting people from point A to point B, because traffic in Toronto and the GTA is a nightmare,” Ford said Monday.
Minister of Transportation Kathryn McGarry said a lot has changed since the project was started and they accepted an advisory panel's recommendation that the proposed highway is not necessarily the best way to address transportation demand in the area.
"We know that gridlock is one of the greatest challenges we face in this region and we have consistently invested in highway infrastructure where it makes sense," McGarry said, in response to Ford.
"For the northwest GTA corridor, I have directed the ministry to proceed with a planning study to explore other infrastructure opportunities for this corridor, including utility needs, rail, as well as other transit options," she said.
The Liberals expect the new study to take between nine and 12 months to be completed. A corridor that is approximately one-third of the size of the area covered by the former GTA West environmental assessment is being protected from development while the planning study is underway, she said.
Ontario’s election is set for June 7.
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Ontario PC leader Doug Ford promises to relook at GTA West corridor in visit to Caledon gas station
NEWS 12:00 PM by Karen Martin-Robbins Caledon Enterprise
Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford’s election bus rolled into Caledon on Monday, April 23 for a quick visit.
In a five-minute speech, Ford promised, if elected in June, to restart the environmental assessment process on the GTA West Corridor.
“We’re all about building infrastructure in transportation,” Ford said.
After more than a decade of planning and study, in February the provincial government walked away from its GTA West highway plans to pursue a smaller-scaled alternative. The highway through north Peel and Halton would have run near the current 407 toll highway and connected Highway 400 in Vaughan with Highway 407/Highway 401 in the west. Studies have been ongoing since 2007.
At the time, Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones criticized Ontario’s Liberal government for spending more than $14 million before axing the project.
“Our goal is to build more roads and more infrastructure, getting people from point A to point B, because traffic in Toronto and the GTA is a nightmare,” Ford said Monday.
Minister of Transportation Kathryn McGarry said a lot has changed since the project was started and they accepted an advisory panel's recommendation that the proposed highway is not necessarily the best way to address transportation demand in the area.
"We know that gridlock is one of the greatest challenges we face in this region and we have consistently invested in highway infrastructure where it makes sense," McGarry said, in response to Ford.
"For the northwest GTA corridor, I have directed the ministry to proceed with a planning study to explore other infrastructure opportunities for this corridor, including utility needs, rail, as well as other transit options," she said.
The Liberals expect the new study to take between nine and 12 months to be completed. A corridor that is approximately one-third of the size of the area covered by the former GTA West environmental assessment is being protected from development while the planning study is underway, she said.
Ontario’s election is set for June 7.
darth_freeman
Active Member
Pretty smart.
And pretty dumb of Wynne to put it on hold/cancel it. I'm fairly certain 90% of people in the GTA would want this highway (transit/bike geeks excluded obviously).
Leo_Chan
Senior Member
Inb4 413 Transitway gets announced.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Hey I'm a transit/bike geek and I want this highway.
Hopkins123
Senior Member
It's only common sense to build this highway project and likewise the long fabled Mid-Peninsula Highway.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Mid pen doesn't make sense to me, actually. A QEW widening is more than enough. Niagara isn't a high growth area, a widening will be enough for the next several decades.
Northern Light
Superstar
Its construction is not consistent w/good urban planning and is awful from an environmental perspective.
The notion that 'just one more' highway will be fine because it may be convenient or cut time for one particularly favoured trip is not on.
Every time we build a new by-pass highway skirting the edge of sprawl, there is more sprawl that jumps that freeway.
We don't have an exception yet, and this one wouldn't be the first, it would be the beginning of the end of the greenbelt.
Moreover it sucks massive gobs of money away from more valuable capital projects.
I say all that as someone who drives and owns a car.
The resources are better directed elsewhere.
It may good politics, it would be lousy policy.
darth_freeman
Active Member
Just look at Highway 407 east of 48 (Donald Cousens Parkway). It was constructed to Brock Road about 20 years ago and barely any development.
Leo_Chan
Senior Member
If and when this gets built, I can see in another 400-series highway in 50 years that connects East Gwillimbury, Bradford, Orangeville, Guelph, and Burlington.
Well that's because that's not designated as an urban area and sprawl takes time. Also the Pickering Airport still hasn't gone forward.
BurlOak
Senior Member
Part of it is more environmentally sensitive (upper Rouge), and Brock was not really a connection to anything - so that part was a stub. With 412 (and 418), it may become more developed.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
Seaton in Pickering is about to kick into high gear, there will be development around the 407 east of Markham very soon. They are already building a new interchange at Whites Road / Sideline 26 to service it.
The 413 is surrounded by protected green belt lands to the north that will limit development. A highway is a piece of infrastructure that services growth, it doesn't create new growth regulations.
The 413 is surrounded by protected green belt lands to the north that will limit development. A highway is a piece of infrastructure that services growth, it doesn't create new growth regulations.
narduch
Senior Member
Giving Toronto NIMBY's way more power and not allowing more dense development near current subway stops will help lead to more sprawl, whether or not this highway is built.