Mill Street EA

Project File Report

Appendix 1 - Public Consultation

Appendix 2 - Traffic Memorandum

Appendix 3 - SWM Design Brief

Appendix 4 - Natural Environmental Assessment Memo

Appendix 5 - Cultural Heritage Report

Appendix 6 - Stage1 Archaeological Assessment

Appendix 7 - Pavement Evaluation Report

Appendix 8 - Design Criteria

Appendix 9 - Recommended Plan and Profile

Mill Street Notice of Study Recommendations

Mill Street PIC Summary Report

• Presentation slides

Questions­ & Answers

You have identified safety and traffic operations for all users as your mandate. How have you broken down each the factors within those categories, and how are these ranked within your evaluation process?­

More details on the evaluation criteria and process will be available during the Public Information Center, scheduled for Summer/ Fall 2021.

A project letter does not allow us to question / comment on how we may be specifically impacted.  We asked for a meeting.  We want to be heard before all alternate proposals are finalized.  WE don't want to only be notified once decisions are already made.­

The Notice of Study Commencement was intended to notify residents of the upcoming Mill Street Study and included contact information where residents and public can submit their comments.

The Notice of Community Outreach Meeting was intended to invite all residents to this meeting as a forum for initial  comments and feedback. The comment sheet for the public to comment on this Community Outreach Meeting can be found on the project website.  

At any time of the Study, residents are welcomed to submit their comments and questions to the contact persons listed on the project website below.

Why has the Town not directly contacted each property owner on Mill Street? Why, in such a small community, am I only learning about sidewalks on Creditview tonight? Basic concerns about the lack of communication.­

Sidewalk is one of the pedestrian facilities that can be considered on Mill Street. The Study is at the early stages of collecting feedback from the community and no alternatives have been developed or selected yet. The purpose of this Community Outreach Meeting is to gather comments from the residents. The comments received will help develop and evaluate the alternative solutions, all of which will be presented at a Public Information Center scheduled for Summer/ Fall 2021. In the meantime, the public can also submit their comments regarding the Mill Street EA Study to the contact persons listed on the Town’s project website.  More information on the project background and Study updates can also be found here. Link was provided at the beginning of the meeting.

­As a landowner of approximately 80 acres of land that is presently zoned residential with frontage both on Mill St. & Creditview Rd please ensure that the road will meet future change.  Change will happen in the future, just not in the current plan.    

The study will take into consideration known future plans.

What is the procedure to get the resident's needs to take precedence?­

Consultation with the public is an important component of all EA Studies. The intent of the Municipal Class EA is to develop a balanced alternative that considers engineering and traffic needs, as well as impacts to the adjacent social, natural and cultural heritage environments. Due to the heightened level of interest shown from the residents along the corridor, additional focus has been allocated to obtaining input from the residents prior to developing the alternative solutions for the corridor.

Questions & Answers

What is the width of the existing right-of-way?­

Existing road allowance (or right-of-way) varies between 10.5m to 26.5m, this is different than what was mentioned at the meeting but confirmed by checking the property boundaries after the meeting.

You say the curve is too tight for a 40km/h speed. I understand that you are considering expropriations. Is it not more cost effective to lower the speed limit to match the curve rather than maintain the speed and re-engineer the curve?­

The design approach aims to minimize property impacts.

The operating speeds of vehicles are typically more a function of road design, and less the posted speed limit.  Road curves can be a form of traffic calming measure; However, they still need to meet design requirements necessary to maintain an acceptable level of safety for all road users in the vicinity of the curves.  RV Anderson is currently undertaking a Traffic Study to evaluate current operating speeds along Mill Street and through the curves, which will help inform the design of proposed solutions.

What posted speed limit would the curve currently allow?­

The current curve is designed to safely accommodate operating speeds well below 40km/h.

What does your research indicate is the expected impact on traffic speeds and volumes of the proposed widening of the road?­

The operating speeds of vehicles are typically more a function of road design, and less the posted speed limit. Road curves can be a form of traffic calming measure; however, they still need to meet design requirements necessary to maintain an acceptable level of safety for all road users in the vicinity of the curves.

What is the expected impact of improving/standardizing the road width with respect to diverting traffic off of Mississauga Rd. i.e. creating a route to by-pass the Miss Rd./King intersection?­

One of the study's objectives is to improve road user safety and traffic operations on Mill Street for existing users and potential future growth.  Mill Street is a public road and provides a functional link between Mississauga Road and Creditview Road.

The observational study was conducted in October 2020, a peak time for pedestrian traffic (fall colours) and additional pandemic traffic. How will this be adjusted in your evaluations?­

Further studies of traffic operations will be undertaken in Summer 2021.

Do current design standards require curbs?­

The current Town Road Design Standard (Standard No. 23) includes curb and gutter for local urban/ rural roads with 20m right-of-way; However, the Town recognizes the impact on adjacent properties. Therefore careful consideration is required to determine if appropriate.

You mentioned there are certain areas of the road that are hazardous is there ever been a thought of dealing with those hazardous areas making them safer instead of making it a standard through the whole Road­.

Currently the road does not meet the Town’s or Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) design standards and is considered unsafe. The Study will consider alternatives to accommodate pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicular traffic.

­Why consider traffic calming measures that don't work?­

The Study will review a variety of traffic calming options for Mill Street which have been shown to be effective based on previous studies.

Have you considered traffic calming such as sections reduced to 1 lane as is done in many places in Ontario?­

Traffic calming will be considered in developing the alternative solutions for the corridor.

We live right on the "s" curve.  There is absolutely no problem passing two cars on any section of the road.

The existing road width (6m) does not meet the Town or Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) design standards for a two lane road (7.9m to 8.9m wide). There are also no facilities to accommodate pedestrian and cyclist traffic.

Is it correct to say that the impact of sightlines and road width are proportionate to the speed of the traffic. If so, wouldn’t slowing the traffic mitigate the concerns significantly?­

Sight distance requirements varies with the posted speed of the road based on Transportation Association of Canada (TAC). Sight distance available is dependent on the road geometry and surrounding environment. The Study will include review of various traffic calming measures.

You mentioned the current road width is 6 metres. What is the TAC standard road width?­

Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) standard road width for roads similar to Mill Street is 6.6m to 7.4m. Town’s standard road width for roads similar to Mill Street is 7.9m to 8.9m.

People park along the road and have picnics, launch canoes etc.  They are parked for long periods of time. 

Noted.

What are traffic operation improvements? Is that the lingo for accommodating the snow-plows?­

Traffic operation improvements can include traffic signs, pavement markings, traffic calming measures, and roadside safety improvements.

There was a comment that safety is priority 1. I look at the widening of Creditview to the point that you cannot park a vehicle at the General Store without blocking the sidewalk or sticking out into the road. This same issue is prevalent in the new section of Valleywood subdivision. How is that making safety a priority?

Based on site observations there is enough space in front of the General Store for vehicles to parallel park without parking on the sidewalk. This Study focuses on Mill Street between Mississauga Road and Creditview Road. Issues with the store parking is noted for Town’s future Study.

The continued assertion that the Town is concerned for the safety of all road users rings hollow to me, when there are numerous other ongoing safety issues around Cheltenham that have never been fixed by the Town. In my opinion, the Town is more likely concerned with being exposed to liabilities.  

Road design in Canada is guided by design standards which were developed based on theoretical research, empirical data, and extensive study on driver behaviour.  Our approach is not to apply the design standards indiscriminately along Mill Street, but to review the existing conditions and provide a design that is practical and safe for all road users - pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.  Preserving the unique cultural features of Cheltenham is an important consideration of this EA study.  Mill Street is also a public road open for access to both local residents and users outside of the community.  Road safety for all road users is to be considered.

In the May 27th virtual meeting, there was continued reference made to road safety standards, guidelines and such that pushed the need to check off boxes in the proposed design, including sidewalks, speed limit signs, curbs, two lanes, minimum curve radii and all that..... but not one Town representative that I recall, stood out and said, in this situation, those do not apply or are not appropriate in this unique situation, the residents don't want all that and as a Town, we are over thinking this. In my opinion it would be the necessary way to move forward and get the residents what they want and pay taxes for.

Noted.

Post the speed at 15-20 km/h for the whole street. Forget the 2 lane road with curbs idea, nobody wants that. Serpentine the long straight sections to slow down the drivers. Tighten up the curves and sight lines even more so drivers have no choice but to slow down, put TRUE traffic calming measures that actually work and leave no choice but to slow down. Fix the road base properly and pave it over, paint a bike lane along the side. Get rid of those awful industrial parking lot LED street lights.   

Lowering the speed alone will not resolve the limited sight distance at the "S" curve and lack of pedestrian/cycling facilities on Mill Street.  To serpentine the long straight sections will require significant property acquisition from adjacent properties.  The design approach is to minimize property impacts.  The Study will review traffic calming options that have been applied in previous studies.  Traffic has to be slowed down in a safe and controlled manner.

The engineers referred to a number of safety concerns: 

The guiderail near the rail trail was noted

• There was no further comment from the engineers and no comment on re-installing the post & wire guiderail that was there previously
• The lack of any attention suggests that it is not a significant concern 

Guiderail issues will be addressed as part of the roadside safety analysis during the detailed design for the preferred alternative.

Sightlines at the top of the “S” curve was identified as a safety concern by the engineers

• The engineers presented no information on any risk analysis
• There was no solution presented other than to install sidewalks
• This presumably is to make way for the motor vehicles
• The engineers did not discuss the potential for addressing this issue specifically (i.e. cutting the grade down or specific localized pedestrian access up the hill)
• This was used more as a justification for sidewalks the full length of Creditview 

The limited sight distance, substandard road width, and lack of pedestrian/cyclist facilities at the "S" curve and along Mill Street in general is a safety concern as insufficient distance is provided to accommodate vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians.  No alternative was presented at the meeting as the Study is still at its early stages gathering feedback to help develop the alternatives.  Sidewalk is a possible alternative for pedestrian facilities but may not be the selected preferred alternative.  The sidewalks are to serve pedestrians and not motor vehicles.

The engineers stated that the “S” curve does not conform to the standards for a 40km/h road and is therefore a safety concern

• The engineers presented no information on any risk analysis
• Lowering the speed limit to match the roadway seems like a more cost-effective solution than expropriating property and enlarging the roadway
• Lowering the speed limit to match the roadway does not require a Study or investment by the Town – it is something that could have already been done if safety was the primary concern

The "S" curve does not conform to standards for 40km/h.  The horizontal and vertical alignment limits the decision and stopping sight distance for a driver traveling at 40km/h to see, react and stop in time to avoid an accident with an object on the road (or pedestrian/cyclist in this case).  It is a safety concern because there is no room on the road for pedestrians or cyclists to move out of the way of the vehicle, or for the vehicle to safely stop to avoid the object.  Lowering the speed alone will not resolve the limited sight distance at the "S" curve, substandard road width, and lack of pedestrian/cycling facilities on Mill Street.

No alternative was presented at the meeting as the Study is still at its early stages gathering feedback to help develop the alternatives. 

A section of the roadway was identified as not meeting TAC standards

• The intention of the Town is to widen the road
• The engineers presented no data on traffic volumes or speeds on the road
• There is an abundance of studies that confirm that widening the road will increase traffic speed, however the engineers did not present any ideas for corresponding traffic calming measures
• Substantive traffic calming measures were essentially dismissed as requiring additional infrastructure 

A traffic study will be undertaken as part of this Study, and the findings will be incorporated into the development and evaluation of the alternative solutions.  Results of the traffic study will be documented in the Project File.  One of this study's objectives is to improve road safety for all users, which includes upgrading/widening the travel lanes to meet the current design standard width; However, no new lanes are being considered to increase traffic volume.  Study will review traffic calming options that have been applied in previous studies.  Traffic calming would require to be accomplished in a safe and controlled manner.

The engineers noted that at the intersection of Creditview and Mill Street, there was no facility to accommodate pedestrian traffic:

• There was no solution identified other than implying sidewalks as the solution
• Many Ontario municipalities implement traffic calming measures to slow/limit traffic at residential intersections 

The Town notes that there is an existing sidewalk along the west side of Creditview Road starting from the Mill Street intersection and continuing north of Creditview Road.

While the engineers cited safety concerns as an impetus for the redevelopment of Mill Street, they presented no data on pedestrian usage, accident rates or complaints to substantiate the concerns.  Looking in Cheltenham and within the Town for examples of the Town’s safety focus, one does not have to go far for both old and new examples of where safety ranks when it comes to redeveloping a road in a residential area.  Creditview was widened

• The Town likely has data showing that speeds have increased significantly
• Safety was compromised as evidence by the parking at the Cheltenham General Store – a vehicle parked at the store must, Either block the sidewalk or protrude out into the roadway
• Pedestrian must often walk out onto the roadway to get by
• This is neither the fault of the General Store or its patrons; it falls squarely on municipal planners and its politicians Evidence suggests that the priority was not pedestrian safety

At this point, the Town has not yet developled or evaluated any alternative solutions.  As such, no preferred solution was presented at the meeting.  Based on the site review, the boulevard space in front of the General Store is wide enough for parallel parking, similar to the east side of the road.  Vehicles currently park straight in and onto the existing sidewalk forcing pedestrians onto the road.

New Valleywood development

• New residential neighbourhood has vehicles parked in driveways between the sidewalk and the roadway
• Vehicles are either protruding into the sidewalk, out onto the road or both
• Evidence suggests that the same priorities exist within the Town

Noted.

Resurfacing issues raised involve a very small portion of the road limited to the "S" curve.  Sightline issues raised by the engineers are limited to the same "S" curve section.  The road is generally lightly used by any of vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians.  The Town has provided no data on vehicle usage in terms of volume or speed.  The absence of any relevant data leads to a reasonable beliefs that such data was not considered in determining the need for the EA study or the project generally.

A traffic study will be undertaken as part of this study, and the findings will be incorporated into the development and evaluation of the alternative solutions.  Results of the traffic study will be documented in the Project File.

Questions & Answers

What is the current property allowance from the road to property lines?   What is the worst case scenario for expropriation? 

Distance between edge of road to property line varies along the road. Existing road allowance (or right-of-way) is typically 13m and varies between 10.5m to 26.5m. Currently the Town is gathering feedback from public before developing alternative solutions. Before property impacts are identified,  alternative solutions need to be considered. The goal is to minimize property impact. Owners whose property that are impacted by the preferred alternative, subsequently selected after the Public Information Centre (PIC), will be consulted with at future meetings to review the alternative.

In order for you to create a legal size rd with 2 lanes and some sort or walking area, you will have to take property and cut trees, it is ignorant for the town to think otherwise.

Our design approach is to minimize property and tree impacts as much as possible.

What is the proposed road allowance?

Town standard for local rural/ urban road has a road allowance of 20m. Existing road allowance is narrower than that in some sections of the road. Our design approach is to maintain the improvement works as much as possible within the existing road allowance.

Who will be responsible for snow clearing of the proposed sidewalks?­

In most cases, it will be the responsibility of the property owner.

The majority of homeowners are 55+ and even 65+ on Mill St. adding a concrete sidewalk will burden the homeowners during in the winter months to remove snow from sidewalks. Some of this road includes farmland. It is unreasonable to expect residents to manage the snow removal.­

Noted.

Is the Town expecting the respective resident to maintain the sidewalks (winter snow-ice clearing) or is the Town budgeting to provide services?­

In most cases, it will be the responsibility of the property owner.

Are you taking into consideration the negative impact on residents regarding being responsible to shovel sidewalks they don't want, especially significant lengths of sidewalks­?

Sidewalk maintenance will be one of the evaluation criteria for all the alternatives considered in the Study.

What will you do to ensure all potentially impacted property owners are consulted? We asked for a meeting and received no response­.

After this Community Outreach Meeting, there will be a Public Information Centre (PIC) scheduled for Summer/ Fall 2021. Public feedback and comments can be submitted anytime throughout the Study. Owners whose property may be impacted by the preferred solution, selected following the PIC, will be invited to subsequent meetings to review the specifics of the preferred solution.

"A sidewalk plan would not likely include a boulevard".  The result would be that snowplows would push road snow onto the sidewalks

A preferred solution for the corridor has not yet been developed. It is still in the early stages gathering feedback from the community. Sidewalk is one of the pedestrian facility alternatives.

"We would have to see whether the Town would assume responsibility for snow-clearing"

• Currently the respective property owners are responsible for snow-clearing
• Between the Creditview sidewalk implementation and the proposed sidewalk the full length of Mill Street, how many meters of sidewalk are being added to the village
• As the property owners of 14376 Creditview, which is situated on the north-west corner of Creditview Road and Mill Street, we would be personally saddled with an additional 300 feet of sidewalk (Already responsible for the same corner to the Cheltenham General Store)

A preferred solution for the corridor has not yet been developed.  It is in the early stages gathering feedback from the community.  Sidewalk is one of the pedestrian facility options to be considered.  The pedestrian facility implemented will be along Mill Street.  Study will include review safety improvements at the Caledon Trailway Path crossing.

Questions & Answers

Regarding sidewalks, there is not sidewalk on Creditview or Mississauga rd? Why mill st which is a narrower rd rarely used by anyone other than residents?­

With the existing sidewalk along Creditview Road (west side starting at Mill Street intersection and continuing north) and the Caledon Trailway Path,  the Town requires safe pedestrian access to and from the trail from Creditview Road.

Could a sidewalk only in the dangerous zones such as blind spots demonstrated be considered?   i.e. from the top of the hill to the dam?  The rest of the road once to standard would be suitable.   

The Study is still in the early steps of gathering feedback from the community to develop alternatives. A sidewalk is one of the alternatives for pedestrian facility. Pedestrian access needs to be continuous to provide connectivity and safe passage throughout the corridor and not force pedestrians onto the road.

Similar roads in Cheltenham do not have sidewalks ie Kennedy road and Credit road...please explain the need for a sidewalk on Mill where there is less pedestrian traffic than the other roads­.

With the existing sidewalk along Creditview Road (west side starting at Mill Street intersection and continuing north) and the Caledon Trailway Path,  the Town requires safe pedestrian access to and from the trail from Creditview Road.

Presenter noted 'pedestrian traffic' concerns. How many resident complaints?­

No resident complaints were received so far in the Study. Some verbal comments received include difficulty in seeing on-coming cars at the “S” curve.  With the existing sidewalk along Creditview Road and the Caledon Trailway Path, the Town requires safe pedestrian access to and from the trail from Creditview Road .

We walk our dogs on this road. Putting in sidewalks will actually increase traffic.

Currently the Study has no preferred solution as the Town is still in the early stages of gathering feedback from the community. Sidewalks and other dedicated pedestrian facilities aim to improve safety for pedestrian traffic. 

If a sidewalk is your preferred solution, is it expected to have a boulevard between the road and sidewalk or will the sidewalk be at the curb? What is the mandatory width of a sidewalk?­

Currently the Study has no preferred solution as the Town is still in the early stages gathering feedback from the community. Sidewalk can be separated from the curb with a boulevard or placed next to the curb. Minimum sidewalk width is 1.5m per the Ontario Traffic Manual and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standard.

In talking about pedestrians, the vast majority are residents of Mill Street, not the public.

Mill Street is a public road that is open for access to residents within and outside of the Cheltenham community.

It is a safe street that I let my children ride their bikes on and i have never felt they were in danger as there is barely any traffic?

Noted.

I prefer paved shoulder to minimize the long-term costs to the town which minimizes taxes to homeowners.­

The provision of a paved shoulder (as opposed to a sidewalk) to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists will be considered in the development and evaluation of the alternative solutions.

Why are people using mill street go to the trail when the trail has parking lots everywhere­?

Noted.

There is no reason to encourage pedestrians down a residential street by installing a sidewalk when visitors come here to use the trail not the road.  

Mill Street is a public road that is open for access to residents within and outside of the Cheltenham community.  With the existing sidewalk along Creditview Road (west side starting at Mill Street intersection and continuing north) and the Caledon Trailway Path,  the Town requires safe pedestrian access to and from the trail from Creditview Road.

What would need to be done to the corner space at the corner of Mill St and the Caledon Trail. You mentioned adding a guardrail, what changes would that entail?­

This section of road will require a new guiderail which will be installed in the shoulder/ boulevard area.

Other than safety concerns addressed above, the active transportation accessibility is only limited by the current state of the pavement at the "S" curve.

The "S' curve limits the available sight distance.  The active transportation accessibility is limited by the lack of active transportation facilities on Mill Street.

The road is very lightly used by pedestrians because most pedestrian usage is at the rail trail

• Parking for the trail is primarily across Mississauga Road at the Brickyards and a designated parking lot on Creditview, Greater safety concerns exist with the trail at the Mississauga Road crossing

Pedestrian traffic volumes are noted and will be confirmed through a traffic study.  Design will review alternatives at the Caledon Trailway Path crossing to improve safety.  It will also review for any additional parking is required.

The road itself does not limit active transportation.

The road currently has no active transportation facilities.

Questions & Answers

There are a number of comments from the presenters about "standards". When you talk about integrating the plan with the character of the village, what does that actually mean? ­

To integrate the plan with the character of the village, Town's design approach will aim to minimize tree removals and property impacts while improving road safety for pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicular traffic. 

We moved from the city to the country for country living and DO NOT want this to become a main rd for tourists.

Noted.

The statement of "It is a lovely corridor" speaks to the manner in which the engineers view the village. It is a community.

The Town recognizes Mill Street is a unique community within Cheltenham.

"This is a lovely corridor"

• This comment was made at the closing and epitomizes the thought process of the engineers
• This is not viewed by the engineers as a community, it is a travel corridor and nothing more
• This leads to the reasonable belief that the primary goal is to increase the volume of vehicles and people through this street and the village in general
• This is different than accommodating tourists, it is about moving people through

Mill Street is a public road that is open for access to residents within and outside of the Cheltenham community.  As such, the Town has an obligation to provide safe accommodation for all users, which includes upgrading the road to meet the current standards and providing pedestrian and cyclist facilities.

The Town recognizes Mill Street is part of the unique Cheltenham Community hence gathering feedback through the Community Outreach Meeting and through the Public Information Center scheduled for Summer/ Fall 2021. One of the objectives for this Study is to improve road safety for all users including pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicular traffic. Currently there are no pedestrian or cyclist facilities on the road. 

Questions & Answers

Would CVC and NE allow for the ditch to have a sidewalk over top of it with a culvert for drainage?  ­

Mill Street design will be submitted to Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) and Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) for review and comment. Currently the Town is still gathering feedback from the community and have not developed alternatives.

Ok so if the road is too narrow now, and our properties are almost at the road, then you will be taking property and removing trees to improve.

Our design approach will aim to minimize tree removals and property impacts.

You’ll have to remove trees as they are close to the road. a lot of them­.

Our design approach will aim to minimize tree removals and property impacts.

Clean and secure the existing drainage ditches. Replace/improve the culverts as needed.

Design will include ditch and culvert cleanouts and replacements where required.

Quiet residential or rural/residential in nature

Noted.

Flooding area on the "S" curve identified by Town

• The engineers confirmed that this project does not address flooding issues
• The engineers speculated that it would not make the flooding worse

Flooding at the “S” curve is due to the existing topography of the land and its proximity to the river. To resolve the flooding issue will require an area wide stormwater management Study, which is beyond the scope of this project. All design will be submitted to CVC and NEC for review and comment. 

Road drainage

• The presenters did not address any roadway drainage issues or how this projecdt affects roadway drainage or stormwater management
• It is reasonable to believe that roadway drainage and stormwater management are not being addressed in any material way by this project

Stormwater drainage is an important part of the detail design of the selected preferred alternative (to be selected after PIC), and our approach is to not worsen the existing drainage issue.

"We would want to minimize the cutting of trees and disruption to property"

• The engineers presented no information as to anticipated impact on the current streetscape
• While recognizing that an actual determination cannot be assessed until a proposal is designed, there was no comment or projections on how many trees might have to be removed to accommodate the redevelopment of the roadway

The Study is at its early stages gathering feedback from the community. No alternatives have been developed so it is not possible to determine number of tree removals at this point. The design approach will be to minimize tree removal and property impacts.

Clean and secure the existing drainage ditches.  Replace/improve the culverts as needed.

Design will include ditch and culvert cleanouts and replacements where required.

Quiet residential or rural/residential in nature.

Noted.

i) Flooding area on the "S" curve identified by Town

• The engineers confirmed that this project does not address flooding issues
• The engineers speculated that it would not make the flooding worse

ii) Roadway drainage

• The presenters did not address any roadway drainage issues or how this project affects roadway drainage or stormwater management

iii) It is reasonable to believe that roadway drainage and stormwater management are not being addressed in any material way by this project

Flooding at the “S” curve is due to the existing topography of the land and its proximity to the river. To resolve the flooding issue will require an area wide stormwater management Study, which is beyond the scope of this project. All design will be submitted to CVC and NEC for review and comment. Stormwater drainage is an important part of the detail design of the selected preferred alternative (to be selected after PIC), and our approach is to not worsen the existing drainage issue.

"We would want to minimize the cutting of trees and disruption to property"

• The engineers presented no information as to anticipated impact on the current streetscape
• While recognizing that an actual determination cannot be assessed until a proposal is designed, there was no comment or projections on how many trees might have to be removed to accommodate the redevelopment of the roadway

The Study is at its early stages gathering feedback from the community. No alternatives have been developed so it is not possible to determine number of tree removals at this point. Our design approach will be to minimize tree removal and property impacts.

Questions & Answers

What will happen with the hydro poles? Will these be pushed further back toward resident homes? Will these be buried?­ 

The Study is in its early stages and the Town is still gathering feedback from the community. No alternatives have been developed yet at this point. Our design approach will aim to minimize utility impacts but utilities may be relocated if required.

What are you proposing for the hydro poles and fire hydrants­?

The Town is still gathering feedback from the community and have not developed alternatives yet. Our design approach will aim to minimize utility impacts. Utilities may be relocated if required.

Move those few hydro poles that are a safety issue, or bury the lines.

Noted. Alternatives will consider the impact to utilities.

Questions & Answers

Is it possible to make all of the submitted questions visible to everyone on the call?  We currently can only see 1 question.

All questions and comments submitted during and after the Community Outreach Meeting will be posted on the Town’s website. All consultation correspondence during the Study, included these questions and responses, will be documented included in the Mill Street EA Study Project File, which will be submitted for public review and comment following the selection of the preferred design for the corridor.

What is the % of roads in Caledon that you repave & fix without doing the 'upgrade' - my perception is that there are many roads that are repaved without doing this 'upgrade'.  When is Kennedy Road going to be paved?  You mentioned Creditview but not Kennedy itself & they were repaved around 3 years ago!­

Majority of the Town's road capital projects involve road assessment before any upgrade to ensure to meet Town's future goals.  Unfortunately any Town's road projects outside of capital projects cannot be commented.

­Most of us only wanted the town to fix the road, why does this have to be a huge process. The only major structural problem is the creek adjacent to the trail­.

Noted and we will review the creek area adjacent to the trail as part of our design. 

Trespassing on private property is a common problem along with garbage left behind.

Noted and the Town will look into this issue.

My family has been in Cheltenham since 1825

Noted.

There was no presentation of any information on the current level of vehicle and pedestrian traffic on Mill Street 

i) The engineers mentioned that sidewalks were not a "preferred" option, however, they presented no real alternative and the audience would reasonably believe that sidewalks are in fact the solution that the engineers are focused on.

ii) Having been involved in a similar issue in another village in the Town, the primary interest of the Town infrastructure department, as stated by the department head at the time, is getting the plows down the road 

iii) Our correspondence to the engineers prior to the meeting was met with a response that was essentially

• We are in the early stages
• We will determine the options
• We will evaluate the options
• We will present the options that we determine
• Residents may then comment

iv) This presentation appeared to be nothing more than a formality with no real consultative element

v) The presenters did not seem to have an appreciation of the village or its character

vi) The project appears to be an attempt to urbanize the village to new development standards - make the square peg (Cheltenham) fit the round hole (new urban development)

vii) The widening of the roadway and implementation of sidewalks will:

• Increase the volume of traffic
• Increase the speed of traffic
• Likely increase the use of Mill Street as a bypass around the Mississauga Road/King Street intersection, and the Town does not seem to be considering traffic calming
• Increasing the hardscaped space and removing a significant number of trees will contribute to pollutants entering the river, and reduce to the streetscape quality

Traffic Study will be conducted on Mill Street as part of this study.  Findings will be included at the Public Information Center (PIC) and in the Project File.  Currently there are no pedestrian facilities on Mill Street and one of the Study's objectives is to improve road safety for all users - pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles.  Sidewalks are one of the options that will be considered in this Study.  To date, no preferred alternative has been selected.  

The Study is in its early stages and no alternatives have been developed yet so there were none to be presented.  The focus of the Community Outreach Meeting is to gather feedback from the public and the comments received will then be used to develop and evaluate alternative solutions.  The results will be presented at the PIC which is open to everyone for comment.  In addition, the public can also submit their comments on the study at any time to the contact persons listed on the website.

This process of developing and evaluating alternatives and consultation as outlined in our previous response is following the Municipal Class EA guidelines.  Although Mill Street is a Schedule 'B' EA Study which typically required only one point of public contact per the Municipal Class EA guidelines, the Town is undertaking two to solicit input from and consult with the community.  

The current roadway width does not meet Town or TAC design standards for a two-lane road.  One of the Study's objectives is to improve road safety for all users, which includes upgrading the road to meet the current standards and providing pedestrian facilities.  The road widening considered in this Study is to widen the width of the travel lanes and not adding new lanes.

Mill Street is a public road that is open for access to everyone getting around in Caledon.  The Study will review a variety of traffic calming options for Mill Street which have been shown to be effective based on previous studies.  The consultant's design approach will be to minimize tree removal and property impacts.  A traffic study will be undertaken as part of this Study, and the findings will be incorporated into the development and evaluation of the alternative solutions.  Results of the traffic study will be documented in the Project File.  

Stormwater drainage is an important part of the detailed design of the selected preferred alternative (To be selected after PIC), and the approach is to not worsen the existing drainage issue.

The potential benefits may include: 

• Addressing deteriorating road conditions
• Improving vehicular traffic safety and operations
• Enhancing the safety and connectivity of cyclists and pedestrians
• Enhancing livability and promoting healthy living in the community
• Creating attractive and vibrant public spaces
• Supporting economic vitality
• Increasing resilience to climate change by improving environmental sustainability and stormwater management

The following considerations will be applied:

• Preserving the number of lanes and ensuring sufficient capacity for vehicular traffic
• Possible improvements at intersections
• Implementation of active transportation infrastructure and facilities
• Possible addition of improved pedestrian crossings and trailway entrances at the Caledon Trailway, improving the safety and access to the trail
• Possible stormwater management improvements
• Slope stability and road grade improvements where required

There are a number of steps that the Town is taking to ensure that all aspects of the project are being considered:

• Analysis of existing conditions and constraints
• Consultation with the public and key technical agencies
• Identification of alternative improvements and analysis of expected impacts
• Selection of the recommended measures to implement

The study

In response to continual road deterioration associated with population growth, the Town of Caledon has identified a need for improvements to Mill Street between Mississauga Road and Creditview Road in 2022. Subsequently, the Town has initiated a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) to review and identify required road, intersection and drainage improvements along the corridor. Within the study limits, Mill Street will retain the two general-purpose lanes, however various options will be evaluated to enhance safety, improve traffic operations and to better accommodate all users.

The Process

The purpose of the study is to identify a recommended design for Mill Street that addresses the increasing wear and tear associated with population growth while enhancing road safety, improving traffic operations and connectivity for all users. In identifying the road improvements, the study will consider the technical and aesthetic requirements as well as socio-economic, cultural heritage, and natural environment factors.