County to study dropping speed limit into Beeton, bypass not on horizon

New Tecumseth Free Press Online

Simcoe County has informed New Tecumseth it will look into establishing a lower speed limit on its road leading into Beeton.

In a March 16th letter to the Town that touches on three separate issues involving upper tier jurisdictions, Christian Meile, Director of Transportation, Engineering, wrote, “the County will undertake a speed study along County Road 1 to determine the most appropriate location for a transition speed zone to the Town owned portion of Main Street.”

Mr. Meile’s reply is to a recommendation approved last month by New Tecumseth council that will lower the speed limit along Main Street from 50 km/h to 40 km/h, as a measure to control truck traffic through the downtown core. Included is a request for the County to create a 60 km/h zone on the approach into town.

“Finally, the Transportation Master Plan approved by County Council in 2014 does include a recommended future road network which identifies a by-pass around Tottenham with a projected need in the post 2031 timeframe,” according to Mr. Meile. “A by-pass around Beeton was not recommended however; improvements to County Road 10 from Industrial Parkway to Highway 9 as well as improvements to the 5th Line from County Road 10 to the proposed Highway 400 interchange, are expected to relieve traffic through both Beeton and Tottenham. It is likely that the County will update the Transportation Master Plan at 5 to 10 year intervals, so changes in planned development and traffic patterns will be incorporated into future capital planning efforts.”