OUR NEWS ARTICLES OF SUPPORT
Reprinted with Permission
8 March 27 ,2002 Caledon Citizen
Business and Finance
Transportation networks starting to take shape
By MARK PAVILONS
Editor
Caledon residents will one day benefit from improved transportation linkages, but it's unlikely this town will ever have a municipal transit system.
Regional Councillor Richard Whitehead has been involved in transportation issues through the now defunct GTSB, and continues to meet with his counterparts in York and Vaughan to investigate the possibilities.
He noted politicians have been assessing two distinct issues over the past few months - the Highway 427 extension and road linkages, and transit.
Transportation, he said, involves not only roads, but rail and freight-related matters. There's a definite need to strengthen and build transit over the next 15 years in Peel and throughout the GTA. He said within 10 years, Bolton will have a GO train station of its own. The road network will be improved with the revamped 427, which will connect to the Bradford bypass.
Whitehead said he's on a committee of politicians from Peel, York, Caledon and Vaughan, which meets regularly to discuss these important issues. Regional Road 50, he stressed, can't continue to carry all the traffic for Bolton, south. Another major route is needed to relieve this pressure and that's where the 427 extension comes in.
The traffic situation will only grow worse, with expected development through Brampton and Vaughan on 50, south to Highway 7. That entire stretch will be filled very soon with both residential and commercial building. Whitehead said it's estimated that 100,000 people will work in that area in the coming decade.
Other important linkages to be explored include Bovaird to Rutherford, Langstaff to 50 and beyond, and Coleraine south to Major Mackenzie.
Whitehead admitted there's a need for cross-border transit linkages and these need to be created locally. There's currently a total absence of a Bolton transit system and he noted hopefully private enterprise will rise to the challenge and meet the need.
For the past two years, Toronto resident Darren Parberry has been plugging away at reinstating a Bolton-Caledon service. Under Metis Transit, Parberry is securing private and corporate sponsorship to launch the service. Owned and operated by the Metis people, it's designed to be a community-based system. He hopes to offers the service to Bolton, Caledon East, Palgrave and surrounding areas, with links to Brampton, York, Mississauga and the TTC.
Whitehead said Caledon council realizes the need and hopes something happens locally. They are not concerned with who operates the service, but Caledon is unwilling to get into the transit business. All municipal services are subsidized and many operate at a loss. It's not in Caledon's best interest to get involved in this type of business, he said.
Caledon has not set any money aside for such a system. There have been informal, preliminary talks with Brampton Transit about extending its service to Bolton. It already serves Mayfield secondary school area. However, asking another transit service to come into another municipality can be costly.
Caledon does have a chance to begin a reserve fund for transportation, but Whitehead is doubtful his colleagues will do so.
The Provincial government resumed total control of GO Transit, freeing up a total of $16.5 million in Peel region. Peel will reimburse its member municipalities for their 2001 share. In Caledon's case, it works out to roughly $800,000. Both Brampton and Mississauga will use their rebates directly for their existing transit services.
Since Caledon has not such service, it should use the funds for transportation-related issues and infrastructure (such as roads).
Whitehead said Caledon can, if it chosses, continue collecting this tax money and earmark it for transit.
The councillor admitted Caledon needs a point-to-point local service and he hopes somebody (Parberry or others) will step up to the plate and make a go of it.
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