RedRocket191
Senior Member
Zoning isn't the joke. The fact that land is zoned for endless sprawl is the real joke.
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Mid-Peninsula Highway/Niagara-GTA Corridor
- Thread starter unimaginative2
- Start date
Zoning isn't the joke. The fact that land is zoned for endless sprawl is the real joke.
vicente
New Member
I think this is a good idea, I'm more in favor of building freeways that link cities rather than freeways that link suburbs and encourage sprawl.
The toll idea might be okay as long as the tolls aren't Highway407-level tolls and more like those of state turnpikes. Then maybe passenger cars will take the new highway while trucks will continue to use the QEW.
Though I think several other highway projects should have a higher priority than this one, as the QEW is not that jammed:
1.) a new border crossing at Windsor, connecting Hwy. 401 to Michigan
2.) finishing Hwy. 406 down to Port Colborne
3.) Freeway from the 401 to Guelph (essentially upgrading the Hanlon highway) and from Guelph to Kitchener-Waterloo (unfortunately the latter will inevitably lead to urban sprawl)
The toll idea might be okay as long as the tolls aren't Highway407-level tolls and more like those of state turnpikes. Then maybe passenger cars will take the new highway while trucks will continue to use the QEW.
Though I think several other highway projects should have a higher priority than this one, as the QEW is not that jammed:
1.) a new border crossing at Windsor, connecting Hwy. 401 to Michigan
2.) finishing Hwy. 406 down to Port Colborne
3.) Freeway from the 401 to Guelph (essentially upgrading the Hanlon highway) and from Guelph to Kitchener-Waterloo (unfortunately the latter will inevitably lead to urban sprawl)
Mike in TO
Senior Member
The report suggests:
- Corridor will produce 130,000 - 170,000 jobs
- Cost of Mid-Pen $2.9 - $5.5 billion
- 95km with 4 to 6 lanes
- 5-8 interchanges
khris
Senior Member
Is there a map showing the approximate location of where the highway would be?
MisterF
Senior Member
Zoning is only as strong as the Official Plan that governs it. And OPs can always be amended unless it would violate the Provincial Policy Statement, which is relatively toothless at preventing sprawl. IMO, greenbelts need to be established along the mid-peninsula highway and in Waterloo Region/Guelph/Brantford before new highways are built in those areas.
Lone Primate
Active Member
I don't see why both can't be accomplished. After all, the 404 and 400 both cross the Moraine. I don't think the idea should be to prevent people from crossing such features, merely from flattening them and building in them.
MisterF
Senior Member
I think you misunderstood me - I actually agree with you. I think greenbelts should be established to go along with new freeways in southern Ontario. If rural freeways are in greenbelts then they won't have power centres and scattered development popping up at every interchange.
I don't believe there's a preferred route as of yet Phunky, just a general thrust of where politicians would like to see it connect. Essentially it would start in the southeast at the QEW in Fort Erie and cross the peninsula to the west in a gradual diagonal that would take it close by Hamilton's Munro International Airport.
The really contentious part of this highway plan are the various routes that they have looked at (only in a very preliminary way so far) to connect it up to the highway system of the northern half of the Golden Horseshoe. That part will be contentious because of the Niagara Escarpment and/or Dundas Valley terrain that the highway will have to traverse. That area has difficult topography and is quite significant environmentally, and existing routes across will not be able to handle the additional traffic on their own. For example, the 403, which climbs the escarpment by cutting into it and slowly running up its "Hamilton Mountain" face, cannot be widened without the huge expense of either cutting further into the escarpment, or cantilevering out over the side of it...
...so another route will have to be found, and there isn't an alternative available that will not significantly affect rather unique and fragile environments in its path.
As an aside, if you ever have a chance to take a bike into the trail systems in the Dundas Valley area of Ancaster that the highway would likely have to plow through, go for it. The valley is gorgeous.
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flar
Active Member
The Niagara Escarpment roughly follows the blue line. The highway has to pass somewhere through the area outlined in red. You can see there is a lot of rugged terrain in the area between Dundas and Ancaster, between Burlington, Dundas and Waterdown, and north of Waterdown. Quite a bit of that land is protected by conservation areas and the Royal Botanical Gardens. Aside from this, people in rural Niagara Region don't want the highway either.
Kiwi
Active Member
I think the plan is to loop around close to Copetown.
vicente
New Member
Why do they need the freeway to connect with the 407?
Can't they just make it come out of the 403 or the end of the Linc?
Or make Hwy. 6 a freeway and have the new freeway branch off right before the Hamilton airport.
Can't they just make it come out of the 403 or the end of the Linc?
Or make Hwy. 6 a freeway and have the new freeway branch off right before the Hamilton airport.
unimaginative2
Senior Member
The 403 is already too congested through Hamilton to handle the additional traffic.
Kiwi
Active Member
Watch for the congestion on the 403 to skyrocket once the Red Hill Creek Expressway opens. Everyone will be taking the shortcut.
The Red Hill will increase traffic west of the Linc on the 403, and that area can we widened if necessary. It's the bit east of the Linc that traverses the escarpment that is the very difficult bit to widen. It should not be significantly impacted by the Red Hill other than a slight reduction of traffic as some diverts to the Red Hill.
The question remains - assuming the Mid-Pen loops as far west as Copetown, it still has to cross the escarpment somewhere in Burlington to join with the 407, or it has to head north to the 401 over similarly difficult terrain. As the Mid-Pen's loop grows wider, the highway become less attractive in terms of the length of time it will take to drive it, the amount of fuel that will be wasted by vehicles taking a roundabout route, the increased amount of land that will be consumed by it, and the increased cost to build it in the first place. It's not going to be an easy highway to plan and build.
42
The question remains - assuming the Mid-Pen loops as far west as Copetown, it still has to cross the escarpment somewhere in Burlington to join with the 407, or it has to head north to the 401 over similarly difficult terrain. As the Mid-Pen's loop grows wider, the highway become less attractive in terms of the length of time it will take to drive it, the amount of fuel that will be wasted by vehicles taking a roundabout route, the increased amount of land that will be consumed by it, and the increased cost to build it in the first place. It's not going to be an easy highway to plan and build.
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Kiwi
Active Member
Railways are still important to Region
(Oct 5, 2007)
The Niagara to GTA Corridor report highlights some important elements regarding rail transportation, but does not go far enough to examine the important role that railways play in economic development.
In the section regarding rail transportation, the report says, "service level perception boils down to reliability and scheduled delivery, which are increasingly required by shippers but generally not available by rail except for the largest customers."
The report adds that in the increased demand for rail service, Class 1 rail carriers are streamlining their businesses by divesting themselves of their least profitable lines. This, however, does not emphasize the important role that railways play in the province of Ontario.
Railways move more than 40 per cent of Ontario's goods each and every year, directly employing more than 10,000 people, and supporting tens of thousands of jobs indirectly. Eighty per cent of Canada-U.S. domestic and international rail traffic passes through Ontario's borders.
In fact, Ontario, which is home to 13 short line and regional railways such as the Southern Ontario Railway in the Hamilton and Brantford region, can help ensure green economic growth through supporting these railways.
Short line and regional railways originate more than 140,000 carloads of freight traffic each and every year, or the equivalent of 500,000 truckloads moving on area highways. These are raw materials and goods manufactured in Ontario, which are then moved to markets in the United States, Asia, and Europe by local rail companies.
Beyond that, rail also plays a key role in relieving traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
One intercity or commuter train can remove up to 1,500 cars off area roads. In fact, passenger trains carry more than 63 million passengers in Canada annually, and play a significant role in removing cars and congestion. VIA Rail Canada and GO Transit, as two examples, both play very important roles in the corridor.
The addition of just one freight train removes the equivalent of up to 280 trucks. In addition, one train that moves 1,000 kilometres will save 4,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions compared to moving those goods by truck.
So important are short line railways to the local economy and the environment that other provinces have acted on maintaining them. A new public-private partnership recently signed in Quebec is ensuring the sustainability of short lines by investing $75 million in rail and intermodal infrastructure in the province over the next five years.
Under the new agreement, the Government of Canada, with first-time funding for rail infrastructure from the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, will contribute $30 million, while the Government of Quebec will contribute $20 million and the short line railways will contribute $25 million.
A similar agreement in Ontario could help to maintain the short line railway infrastructure in the province and the region, and ensure the economic growth that comes from the sector.
So, while the recent report regarding the Niagara to GTA corridor does suggest an increase in jobs and added revenue, it is also important to closely examine the role of railways and how they too can contribute to the region's growth.
Cliff Mackay
President, CEO
Railway Association of Canada
(Oct 5, 2007)
The Niagara to GTA Corridor report highlights some important elements regarding rail transportation, but does not go far enough to examine the important role that railways play in economic development.
In the section regarding rail transportation, the report says, "service level perception boils down to reliability and scheduled delivery, which are increasingly required by shippers but generally not available by rail except for the largest customers."
The report adds that in the increased demand for rail service, Class 1 rail carriers are streamlining their businesses by divesting themselves of their least profitable lines. This, however, does not emphasize the important role that railways play in the province of Ontario.
Railways move more than 40 per cent of Ontario's goods each and every year, directly employing more than 10,000 people, and supporting tens of thousands of jobs indirectly. Eighty per cent of Canada-U.S. domestic and international rail traffic passes through Ontario's borders.
In fact, Ontario, which is home to 13 short line and regional railways such as the Southern Ontario Railway in the Hamilton and Brantford region, can help ensure green economic growth through supporting these railways.
Short line and regional railways originate more than 140,000 carloads of freight traffic each and every year, or the equivalent of 500,000 truckloads moving on area highways. These are raw materials and goods manufactured in Ontario, which are then moved to markets in the United States, Asia, and Europe by local rail companies.
Beyond that, rail also plays a key role in relieving traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
One intercity or commuter train can remove up to 1,500 cars off area roads. In fact, passenger trains carry more than 63 million passengers in Canada annually, and play a significant role in removing cars and congestion. VIA Rail Canada and GO Transit, as two examples, both play very important roles in the corridor.
The addition of just one freight train removes the equivalent of up to 280 trucks. In addition, one train that moves 1,000 kilometres will save 4,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions compared to moving those goods by truck.
So important are short line railways to the local economy and the environment that other provinces have acted on maintaining them. A new public-private partnership recently signed in Quebec is ensuring the sustainability of short lines by investing $75 million in rail and intermodal infrastructure in the province over the next five years.
Under the new agreement, the Government of Canada, with first-time funding for rail infrastructure from the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, will contribute $30 million, while the Government of Quebec will contribute $20 million and the short line railways will contribute $25 million.
A similar agreement in Ontario could help to maintain the short line railway infrastructure in the province and the region, and ensure the economic growth that comes from the sector.
So, while the recent report regarding the Niagara to GTA corridor does suggest an increase in jobs and added revenue, it is also important to closely examine the role of railways and how they too can contribute to the region's growth.
Cliff Mackay
President, CEO
Railway Association of Canada