The Long and Winding Road, Part 1

Dear readers,

I am an urban planner by training and a public transportation promoter by personal avocation. I make no secret of my preference in the following look at local highway development and the issue’s regional relevance in the Ontario election.

In scanning the environment of Waterloo Region for citizen issues to write about on Campaign Tales, I noticed signs on my drives to Brantford promoting a cause I’d not heard of: Stop the 424. My curiosity triggered, I soon discovered that rabbit hole led to a curious wonderland of political acquiescence.

In the context of Waterloo Region’s continued growth, two major highway plans have attracted voters’ attention. But there’s little evidence of any political debate, largely it seems, due to the apparent unanimity among the three major parties’ candidates.

The Ministry of Transportation is currently examining a proposal to build a 400-series style highway from Highway 401 in southern Puslinch, along the eastern edge of Cambridge, and along the Grand River valley to Highway 403 in Brantford. The plan is to provide an alternate, high-speed route between the two centres, taking pressure off of Highway 24, which runs as a two-lane country highway through the township of North Dumfries and into Brant County. The highway would connect the industries of Brantford and Cambridge to the network of 400 series highways throughout the province, and it would likely contribute to urban sprawl, especially along the eastern side of Cambridge, as real estate could be marketed to commuters wanting proximity to the fast route to Toronto.

The Ministry of Transportation has not given this highway an official designation, but its location next to Highway 24 and its 400-series-highway standards have enabled opponents to label it Highway “424.” The concern is that the highway will increase traffic locally, cut into environmentally sensitive areas in the Grand River valley, and adversely affect such rural communities as St. George.

It was easy enough to get an interview with the local Green Party candidate in Cambridge Colin Carmichael. He says his party puts public transit first and wants a five year moratorium on highway development: “Adding highway capacity will never resolve gridlock issues because new highways (and lane expansions) actually encourage people to drive more often which means that new highway capacity is always behind demand.”

Contacting incumbent Conservative MPP Gerry Martiniuk for his views proved near impossible; nobody answers the phone at his campaign headquarters, and my messages left on the office’s answering machine were not returned. Likewise his Liberal opponent, Kathryn McGarry, has proven difficult to get a hold of. Even the New Democratic candidate Mitchel Healey failed to return my calls after initially expressing an interest in talking to me.

Now, I realize that all of the candidates have busy schedules to maintain during an election campaign, and I also realize that I’m a “citizen journalist” (read: unpaid) for a website rather than a “real” journalist for a mainstream newspaper. But I cannot help but wonder if this wall of silence is deliberate, to avoid tough questions on the very need for new highway development in southwestern Ontario. I also wonder whether planners and politicians are doing enough to grow our urban centres in a more compact and pedestrian friendly manner that makes public transportation options viable and reduces the need for new highway development.

Tomorrow: The Long and Winding Road , Part 2. In Waterloo Region political pavement stifles public transportation debate