Few surprises in Innisfil transportation survey

Rick Vanderlinde Innisfil Journal Sep 28, 2012 

INNISFIL (UPDATED) — Trying to make life a little easier for Innisfil’s commuters while keeping local streets safe with more sidewalks and bike paths is the emerging focus of the town’s long-term transportation plan.

Richmond Hill consultants crafting a $170,000 transportation vision for the town conducted a workshop with council and a few residents last Wednesday.

There were few surprises in the survey of 519 residents, which showed a need for more sidewalks and bicycle paths, a desire for public transit and better routes for commuters to make their way to the GTA and Toronto.

The survey, which consultant Carl Wong agreed was not scientifically accurate but provided a public opinion snapshot, showed most respondents would use sidewalks or cycling paths to the Innisfil Recreation Complex, Innisfil Beach Park and downtown Alcona.

Mayor Barb Baguley told the consulting team that a bicycle path will be part of Simcoe County’s project to widen Innisfil Beach Road from the 20th Sideroad to Highway 400, which is meant to east commuter congestion with four lanes.

“We fought for that at the county and I think it’s a done deal,” she said. Traffic lights at Yonge Street and Conc. 7 will also be installed by the county, another area the consultant considered a high priority area.

“I would hate to see the County plan says something is important and our master plan says no it isn’t,” Baguley told the HDR Consultants. “I would hate to be in that awkward position.”

In the area of public transit, 72 per cent of those surveyed said they would take a bus into Barrie, with another 33 per cent looking for connections to Bradford and York Region. — Public transit will be studied more closely in a $15,000 report prepared by another consultant, which will look at trial service.

“The two studies will complement each other,” Infrastructure director Andy Campbell said.

Innisfil had been attempting to negotiate with Barrie to extend routes into north Innisfil. However, there have there been no talks recently, with Barrie focusing on a shared bus plan with Essa to provide transit between Angus and the city.

“There are no formal negotiations underway with Barrie regarding Barrie Transit.  Town Staff will be approaching Barrie once we get to the next stages of evaluation of transit issues,” Campbell said.

Earlier this month, Innisfil heard from a private bus operator hoping to study the feasibility of providing routes within the town. That proposal is being studied by the town.

“The mass transit plan will be looked at in much more detail later,” Wong said. “We need to find out more about ridership and costs. That is reserved for a separate study.”

GO bus and train service is used by about 38 per cent of the 591 respondents, with 80 per cent travelling to either Barrie or Bradford to board one of the trains south to the GTA.

An Alcona resident, one of about six who attended the Sept. 26 meeting, said his wife’s commuting time to downtown Newmarket would be cut in half if there was a train station in Lefroy.

“Now I have to drive her to the station at Mapleview and when she is on the train she goes right past Alcona again,” he said. “If there is GO station here a lot of people will be using it.”

The town has approved a GO station site at the 5th line which is expected to service Alcona as well as new growth in Lefroy that will add another 1,400 homes.

Baguley said any delay in the process is on the part of Metrolinx and not the town.

Meanwhile, Coun. Lynn Dollin said council should lobby for a seat on the Metorlinx board of directors to gain more influence over the process.

The workshop was a starting point for the town’s master transportation plan, which will help guide council on future priorities.

The year-to-year road needs study, which has been updated, will be part of this year’s budget process. Council will decide which roads – local and arterial — will receive improvements first.