If you have a Hwy. 7 address, you might want to order some new letterhead.
The region’s transportation committee approved plans yesterday to rename the road, Avenue 7.
It was more than two years ago Markham and Vaughan’s councils passed motions asking for the road to be renamed.
Richmond Hill Regional Councillor Vito Spatafora told the committee the town has few addresses on the street and will be largely unaffected.
Technically, the highway stretches for more than 700 kilometres, from Sarnia to Ottawa. In the late 1990s, stretches were downloaded to municipalities, meaning the proper name for the local stretch is York Regional Road 7.
No one cared when that name changed and there won’t be any upheaval this time either, regional chairperson Bill Fisch said at the meeting.
Moreover, the change relates to the evolution of the road that is set to see rapid transit and high-density development.
“The road itself is going to change over the next 20 years, dramatically,†Mr. Fisch said.
“It is believed that the name of Avenue 7 is appropriate as a new name as it represents the future vision for this road as a modern, urban arterial road with a transit plan,†a staff report states.
Less impressed with the exercise was Georgina Mayor Robert Grossi, who described it as “a waste of money.â€
Highway 9 may have seen its name changed to Davis Drive West, but it still has the same congestion, he pointed out.
“If this (name change) is just to make us feel good ... why don’t we call it the Champs-Élysées?†Mr. Grossi asked, in reference to the famed Paris road.
Markham Regional Councillor Gordon Landon pointed out the name was simply not in keeping with what the road has become.
“Highway gives it the wrong connotation,†he said.
The region aims to meld the renaming process with already-scheduled public meetings later this year regarding the implementation of Viva’s bus rapidways. The cost of three such consultation centres, online consultation and outreach to local businesses and residents is tagged at $25,000.
The actual change would similarly be tied to the rapidways coming on line in 2011.
A second option, costing $60,000, that would have allowed for more community involvement, including a chance for residents to suggest new names for the road, was rejected.
Staff argue the Avenue 7 name is virtually already a foregone conclusion.
It has been used as a placeholder name in planning documents and Wikipedia links to a York Region Media Group article on the subject.
The decision needs to be ratified by council at its meeting later this month.
