Thank you for providing an…

Thank you for providing an opportunity to provide further comments through the ERO posting on the Southwestern Ontario Transportation Planning Study – Early Findings and Draft Options. The below comments are similar to previous comments provided through the Southwestern Ontario Transportation Planning Study TAC process.

Goal 1 Options
• Grey County staff fully support the option to implement targeted improvements along provincial highways experiencing high traffic volumes and congestion. Grey County has previously identified to MTO some recommended improvements along key intersections within the provincial highway system in Grey County, especially recommended improvements along Highway 26 between Meaford and Collingwood that have experienced increased traffic volumes. Key intersection improvements that we believe will greatly assist some of the traffic volume issues we are experiencing in the Town of The Blue Mountains area include: Highway 26/Grey Road 21/Simcoe 34, Highway 26/Grey Road 19, Highway 26/Grey Road 40, Highway 26/Grey Road 2 and Highway 26/Grey Road 113. There are some other key intersections within Grey County along the provincial highway that warrant further investigation and improvements including the intersections of Highways 6 and 10 in Chatsworth, Highway 21/Highway 6/Grey Road 18 intersection in Springmount, Highway 26/Grey Road 7 in Meaford, and Highway 10/Grey Road 12 in Markdale to name just a few. We do note that the example options included on Page 8 of the Phase 3 Summary document indicates that mitigation measures should be studied for Highways 6, 10, 21 and 40. Grey County strongly recommends that Highway 26 also be added to this congestion study list.
• It is recommended that roundabouts be considered at key intersections along the Provincial Highway (e.g. roundabout at the intersection of Highway 26/Grey Road 21/Simcoe Road 34) as these have been proven to help with the continued movement of vehicular traffic and are much safer than signalized intersections (i.e. roundabout on Highway 21/Grey Bruce Line in Alvanley as well as the roundabouts installed on Highway 26 between Collingwood and Wasaga Beach).
• Grey County supports improving transit connectivity in rural and/or underserved areas; however, transit service in large rural areas can be quite costly and therefore municipalities need financial support from the Provincial and Federal governments in order to sustain the costs of maintaining and enhancing rural transit service.
• Grey County also recommends that the MTO Regional Plans be coordinated and integrated so that there is alignment between the goals and actions from each regional plan. This is to ensure that improvements along highways between adjacent MTO Regions are looked at in a coordinated way and do not just end at the MTO regional boundaries. Grey County would also be happy to collaborate with the two MTO regions, Simcoe County, and the local municipalities to do a regional transportation assessment within the South Georgian Bay area to further assess the anticipated growth and traffic volumes in this area and to identify improvements that will be required to transportation infrastructure.

Goal 2 Options
• Grey County supports the proposed option of facilitating marine goods movement through improvements to ports and through ferry services where appropriate. In order for this to occur, financial support from the provincial and federal governments is required to maintain and enhance these ports. In addition to supporting the improvements to ports, it is equally important for the Province to support marine education and training programs. Grey County is fortunate to have the Georgian College Owen Sound campus which offers world class marine education and training programs in Grey County. Grey County has provided financial support to enhance some of the Marine Education and Training programs offered through Georgian College. We recommend that the Province consider doing the same as we will continue to need a strong, diverse and skilled marine workforce to transport goods throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River and beyond.
• Grey County has a strong agricultural industry and therefore we support the proposed option to improve infrastructure and programs that improve access to agrarian communities and to accommodate large and slow-moving vehicles. This should also include improving the safety of the horse and buggy community as there are a number of Amish/Mennonite residents throughout Grey County.
• Grey County also has a strong tourism industry with millions of visitors annually coming to Grey County, and therefore we support the proposed option to ensure that transportation networks support the tourism industry, such as providing improved wayfinding and access to destinations. We also recommend that improvements be made to support active transportation and to improve the safety of trail crossings along the Provincial Highway (e.g. Grey County CP Rail Trail along Highways 6 and 10, Georgian Trail along Highway 26, etc.).
• Although not an option that is listed, Grey County recommends that MTO facilitate and support infrastructure (i.e. municipal water and sewer pipes) being within and/or crossing MTO corridors as our local municipalities have run into some challenges in the past with expanding infrastructure in MTO corridors. It is recommended that further flexibility be provided by updating MTO policies to facilitate this infrastructure or maybe this is better solved by expanding or adding ‘connecting links’ within designated settlement areas along provincial highways.

Goal 3 Options
• Grey County generally supports the proposed options to support and expand regional transit coordination initiatives as well as to improve the effectiveness and competitiveness of inter-community transit, however as noted previously this support needs to include stable and sustainable funds from the provincial and federal governments to provide rural transit services. We have a number of communities along Highway 10 (Dundalk, Flesherton and Markdale) where residents travel to the GTA area for their place of employment and therefore having improved connections and transit hubs further north along Highway 10 to connect to the Go Transit (which currently starts/ends at Highway 10) would be extremely beneficial. Grey County has operated the Grey Transit Route (GTR) over the past couple of years which includes providing connections to Shelbourne and Orangeville and we have seen increased ridership along these routes to the point where ridership demand is beyond the capacity of our buses. We will continue to see this increased need as these communities continue to grow.

Goal 4 Options
• Grey County supports the proposed option to implement targeted measures to reduce collisions; however, we recommend the option not be specific to reducing collisions but to look at how overall safety can be improved along highways. This could include looking at installing roundabouts at key intersections which have proven to be safer than signalized intersections, improving trail and active transportation crossings along the provincial highway as noted previously, etc. We also recommend that the Province consider providing financial supports to municipalities to improve overall road safety and to work towards a ‘vision zero’ goal.
• Grey County supports the option to increase availability and quality of rest areas for commercial and passenger vehicles and recommend that these rest areas also incorporate EV charging stations to support the overall EV charging network throughout the Province.
• Grey County also supports the proposed option to improve connectivity and quality of interregional cycling network. Grey County has completed a Cycling and Trails Master Plan which includes a number of recommendations and actions for improving the cycling and trails network throughout Grey County. It is recommended that MTO consider these municipal plans when exploring options for improving the cycling network throughout the Province.
• Grey County supports the options to engage indigenous communities and to assess and address transportation needs in equity-deserving communities.
• Grey County also recommends that any policy and infrastructure improvements are looked at through an ‘age-friendly’ lens to ensure that any actions reflect and respond to needs for everyone including youth, working-age, older adults and people with disabilities. Grey County has completed an Age-Friendly Community Strategy and Action Plan that is based on the World Health Organization’s 8 age-friendly community domains, one of which is transportation.

Goal 5 Options
• Although Grey County is generally supportive of the proposed option to explore opportunities to improve financial sustainability of regional airports, it should be noted that the two airports within Grey County (Wiarton-Keppel Airport and the Billy Bishop Airport) are no longer municipally owned.

Goal 6 Options
• Grey County supports the options to manage and respond to climate risks on highway infrastructure to promote resilience and to work with transportation industry stakeholders to mitigate climate risks on infrastructure and provide support for climate resilience. Grey County is planning to undertake a Climate Change Adaptation Plan starting this year which will include recommendations and actions to improve the resiliency of the transportation network throughout Grey County and we would be happy to engage MTO when we conduct this study.
• Grey County also supports the option that supports the adoption of zero-emission buses and the option to support the adoption of electric vehicles and the expansion of the ‘alternative fueling’ station network. This aligns with some of the goals and actions in Grey County’s Climate Change Action Plan that is called Going Green in Grey and also aligns with the work that we are doing in partnership with neighbouring municipalities through the ‘Rural Recharge’ project to improve the EV charging network in parts of southwestern Ontario by strategically locating Level 2 and Level 3 chargers in various communities throughout Grey County, Dufferin County, Bruce County and beyond.

Thank you again for the opportunity to provide these additional comments. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the comments above in further detail, please do not hesitate to contact Grey County staff.