04-14-2022, 03:40 PM
The road was supposed to be reconstructed by now but the ION design has delayed this somewhat. There will be a MUP going in on one side from Freeport to the 401. Realistically it will be close to useless, the area will remain cut off from Preston and there is no infrastructure past the river towards Kitchener. Multi-lane roundabouts aren't pedestrian or cyclist friendly, most drivers are looking for cars and cars only.
With the addition of the ION and the MTO stating that the 401 access isn't in the 20 year capital plan the area will remain an uninviting car sewer for the foreseeable future.
I live 2.5 km away from Costco, but will take the 9 km route via Doon Valley golf course just for safety. It is quite frankly a ridiculous detour that can't be done in the winter. The number of times I drove on King street this winter with cyclists and pedestrians on the road is frankly completely unacceptable ignorance by both the MTO and the region. The on-ramp towards London makes the road the scariest I have been on and I will ride pretty much anywhere. The most dis-pointing part is that there is probably close to 3000 people in the area near Shantz Hill, with a lot of low income families.
As much as the land in the area is prime for redevelopment it represents all the is wrong with Ontario land use. For the new development there is pretty much zero green space in the are, no active transportation outside of the area and surrounded by oversized single family homes. I see low uptake of the ION, once you live next to a highway ramp you are far more likely to use a car.
Some of the above could be solved with some political will. I assume the proposed developments will go ahead, and there will likely be a few more. The city should look at buying the sportsmen club or golf course to address parkland issues in the area. Removing traffic lanes and more importantly slowing speeds to discourage driving would go a long way.
With the addition of the ION and the MTO stating that the 401 access isn't in the 20 year capital plan the area will remain an uninviting car sewer for the foreseeable future.
I live 2.5 km away from Costco, but will take the 9 km route via Doon Valley golf course just for safety. It is quite frankly a ridiculous detour that can't be done in the winter. The number of times I drove on King street this winter with cyclists and pedestrians on the road is frankly completely unacceptable ignorance by both the MTO and the region. The on-ramp towards London makes the road the scariest I have been on and I will ride pretty much anywhere. The most dis-pointing part is that there is probably close to 3000 people in the area near Shantz Hill, with a lot of low income families.
As much as the land in the area is prime for redevelopment it represents all the is wrong with Ontario land use. For the new development there is pretty much zero green space in the are, no active transportation outside of the area and surrounded by oversized single family homes. I see low uptake of the ION, once you live next to a highway ramp you are far more likely to use a car.
Some of the above could be solved with some political will. I assume the proposed developments will go ahead, and there will likely be a few more. The city should look at buying the sportsmen club or golf course to address parkland issues in the area. Removing traffic lanes and more importantly slowing speeds to discourage driving would go a long way.