From snarled traffic to the potential dangers of a heavy truck presence on country roads.
Rural Miltonians have a variety of concerns when it comes to traffic, but the unifying sentiment is clear: the situation is anything but ideal.
Margaret Ireland has no shortage of frustration about the rise in accidents and the backlog of traffic at the Guelph Line/Campbellville Road intersection – which on any given weekday can be backed up for kilometres at rush hour, with only two or three trucks able to turn left on Guelph Line at a time.
“You can see it’s an issue,” she said, pointing out the window of the Nassagaweya Tennis Centre and Community Hall at the troubling spot in question. “Something (improvement) has to happen.”
Ireland was one of roughly 40 area residents in attendance for Thursday’s rural consultation session – aimed at gathering feedback to help shape an updated Town of Milton Transportation Master Plan (TMP), which will take the municipality to 2051, at which point its population will be triple that of its current 133,000 (2021 Census numbers).
The plan will address all modes of transportation in a community with a growing demographic of young families, with roughly half of the workforce – 48 per cent – commuting outside Halton.
Town officials and Brett Sears – planning manager with WSP Canada Inc., a world-leading consulting firm helping develop Milton’s TMP – heard a variety of concerns throughout the night.
Resident Doreen Clarke said the north end of Milton has been largely “ignored” when it comes to transit planning, noting that many rural roads are not equipped to handle the rise in heavy truck traffic and how she had a recent close call with an 18-wheeler while out walking.
“It’s just a nightmare,” she said.
The situation, some predicted, will only get worse if the proposed Campbellville quarry be approved, while others noted that the rural areas traffic woes came from Guelph and Acton more so than Milton.
Damage to rural roads from trucks and “missing links” in the rural pedestrian network were among other issues raised at the meeting, with residents invited to place post-it notes on a map to address specific areas of concern.
“You’re the experts,” said Sears. “You know best. You drive, walk, cycle here on a daily basis and you know where the issues are.”
Addressing Ireland’s inquiry about Milton’s Transit On Demand service, Town of Milton Commissioner of Development Services Jill Hogan noted that it’s not just for those with disabilities, but open to rural residents as well. While acknowledging that the Town “can’t run a fully integrated” public transit service to the rural area, the growing population – including an influx of students from Conestoga College – is making overall upgrades more feasible.
“We’re getting that critical mass that can support a more robust transit system,” she said.
Hogan offered her gratitude for the evening’s feedback, calling it a vital piece of the TMP development process.
“This impacts everyone’s life. It’s not just a document that sits on a shelf.”
The Town will hold two TMP consultation meetings on June 22.
Residents can register for a virtual session at noon, while an in-person meeting will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Sherwood Community Centre (6355 Main St.). Milton Transit on Demand is available.
Residents can fill out a TMP survey here, and stay up to date on the plan at LetsTalkMilton.ca.
