Residents here can look forward to reconstruction of Colborne Street from Geddes to North Queen Street in the coming year.
In his December report to Centre Wellington council, managing director of infrastructure Colin Baker explained reconstruction options.
He said the 2017 capital budget includes a number of road reconstruction projects.
Baker stated the Colborne Street project is from downtown Elora at the intersection of Colborne and Geddes Streets through to North Queen (four blocks).
“We’re looking at new water mains, urbanizing the streets, replacing sidewalks, attaching stormsewers on Princess Street, Melville, Chalmers and North Queen,” he said.
On Dec. 7 the township held an open house regarding the work.
“We were looking for feedback on two options,” he added.
Baker said work on the first block is considered as part of Elora’s central business district.
“We want to give this area a downtown feel,” he said. That means on-street parking and sidewalks on both sides of the road.
The goal is to move overhead utilities underground in the first block. In addition, standard Elora decorative streetlights would also be installed.
For the remaining three blocks, Baker commented “we know Colborne is a busy collector road.”
Currently traffic volumes are about 3,000 vehicles per day, and with additional subdivisions coming in the near future, “we expect volumes to increase to 4,500 to 5,500 vehicles per day in the not-so-distant future.
“We are trying to design the road to be forward looking, with those traffic volumes in mind.”
In that scenario, bike lanes enter as a factor. One option included bike lanes on both sides of the street, with sidewalks on both the north and south sides of the roadway. That option included no on-street parking.
Baker said there is currently on-street parking on this section of Colborne.
“Unfortunately, there is not enough right-of-way width to have both on-street parking and bike lanes,” he said.
Therefore, the second option includes slightly wider travel lanes to accommodate both cars and bicycles allowing some on-street parking on the north side of the road.
In this option, there would still be sidewalks on both sides of the road.
Baker said the public provided lots of feedback.
He stressed, “Colborne Street will be setting a precedent because it is a really important collector road. It connects right to Beatty Line (and new developments in that area.)
“We want to make sure we are making the right decision.”
Both options provide “decent-sized” boulevards, Baker stated.
“There will be a few tree removals required, but we will have opportunities for additional plantings,” he said. “We will do as many as we can … as space allows.”
Councillor Kirk McElwain stated traffic tends to speed up where lanes are wider and asked if Baker was looking more to the narrow lane alternative.
Baker said, “We’ve heard that loud and clear from the public. We are looking for any opportunities for traffic calming to slow vehicles down.”
He said there are residents along Water Street who believe the roadside “bumpouts” (created during the reconstruction of that street) are having the desired traffic calming effect.
Baker said there were requests to give Colborne a narrower feel and he believes there are opportunities for traffic calming implementation.
Councillor Stephen Kitras asked if concerns had been raised regarding cyclist safety in light of projected increased traffic on Colborne Street.
“I cycle that road myself and I find it precarious at times,” he said.
Because of existing trails in the area, Kitras wondered if another road could be designated as a bicycle path.
“Although it is desirable to have bike lanes, I’m just concerned with the designation here,” he said.
Baker agreed the Elora-Cataract Trailway connects Fergus and Elora not too far to the south (one block) and Church Street also provides a link to the downtown.
He added Centre Wellington’s trail master plan does identify Colborne as a main active transportation link between the two communities.
Baker said this would provide another option for folks. He noted a growing trend in communities where cycling is happening year-round.
To Baker’s knowledge, there are no plans to maintain the Elora-Cataract Trail to accommodate cyclist traffic on a year-round basis.
CAO Andy Goldie stated the intent is to create a tiered level of cycling opportunities in the community.
Councillor Mary Lloyd stressed the road is used by school children, therefore bicycle lanes are important.
“It is important to recognize the comments of the Water Street residents who have seen a bit of traffic calming because of the bumpouts,” she said.
As to comments about the roadway being precarious, Lloyd said part of the problem is the number of potholes and the condition of the road has made it dangerous for bicycles.
“I’m glad to see this project coming forward and setting us up for the future,” she said.
Kitras contended, “It’s not just the potholes.
“When you fix up a road, there is speed, and I don’t think it advisable to direct children onto a road which is a main artery – to go to school.”
He believed it better to direct cyclists to secondary or quieter roads.
Kitras agreed bumpouts are an excellent idea and accommodate parking while also calming traffic.
Baker’s report was accepted as information.
