The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services recently announced that Highway 6 passing through Morriston has been designated a Community Safety Zone.
“Community and road safety issues remain top priorities for Puslinch council,” said Mayor Dennis Lever.
“This announcement is the result of a grassroots movement spearheaded by local business owner Bill Knetsch [who] has been committed to increasing the safety of pedestrians in his community. Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott was also instrumental in ensuring everything moved through the appropriate approval processes at Queens Park.”
Bill 26 amended the Highway Traffic Act to allow municipalities to designate portions of roadways as Community Safety Zones.
The township, Wellington County OPP Detachment Commander Inspector Scott Lawson, Wellington County planner Sarah Wilhelm and the local COPS committee worked hard to ensure this designation was achieved, Lever said.
“The long-term solution for this community is a bypass,” he added.
“Until that becomes a reality we need to do everything we can to ensure the safety of the public while they are in Morriston.”
Arnott added the mayor, council, township staff, and community partners, deserve enormous credit for their work to support road safety in Morriston.
“I’m glad to work with them, and continue to push for the placement of the Highway 6 Morriston bypass project on the Ministry of Transportation’s five-year plan,” Arnott said.
Added Lawson, “Speed still remains one of the main contributors to the severity of collisions in Wellington County. The OPP is hopeful this new Community Safety Zone will be a deterrent to speeding motorists.”
The new Community Safety Zone will see speeding fines increased.
“What you may also not know is that those motorists who choose to travel in excess of 29km/h over the posted maximum speed limit in Morriston will automatically have to appear in court,” said Lawson.
He explained this is a significantly lower threshold than normal.
“We just want people to slow down for the sake of everyone’s safety,” Lawson added.
In a separate email to the Advertiser, Knetsch offered an update to what has happened since the local group started taking action to make the Morriston Highway 6 corridor a safer road – not just for local residents, but the tens of thousands of vehicles that travel through Morriston.
Knetsch said the accomplishments include:
– MTO has increased the off ramp from exit 299 off the 401 to release the congestion for traffic going east bound;
– MTO has paved the road -way through Morriston to minimize vibrations from transport trucks damaging buildings;
– MTO has re-painted road markings and lines for better visibility for motorists;
– MTO has upgraded a retaining wall that was “falling down” in Morriston;
– MTO has resurfaced some parts of the sidewalk for better drainage;
– MTO has increased the size of the speed signs through Morriston; and
– MTO has painted “zebra signs” at lights and crosswalk to make it safer for pedestrian crossing.
But the work is not done, Knetsch said.
Those involved still want to see improved lighting, proper gateway signs, and roadway landscaping “to make our hamlet feel like a village and not a major highway.”
He added it is important to note the efforts of Arnott, Lever and council, as they continue the work to encourage the Minister of Transportation to place the Morriston Highway 6 bypass on the province’s five-year construction plan.
“We must all do whatever we can to support them to achieve this goal,” Knetsch concluded.
