Long-term solution proposed for 'dog's breakfast' Bradford intersection
Simcoe.com
Sept. 14, 2017
By Heidi Riedner
The term "share the road" is taking on new meaning when it comes to one of Bradford's most clogged intersections, not only for farm vehicles trying to navigate traffic on their way to processing plants, but also in terms of cost and responsibility for a solution between two regions, a province and a few municipalities thrown in.
When you live in an agricultural area, you get used to sharing the road with large farm vehicles.
With increased development, however, comes increased traffic and congestion.
When you add in two area bridges out of commission for rehabilitation and replacement, you get one bottlenecked throughway through town at Bridge Street and Canal Road, which sees 23,000 cars moving between Bradford and Newmarket each day.
While not a new problem, it has reached a new level of public safety, according to the Holland Marsh Growers' Association, which has been pleading for a set of traffic lights for the past nine years to help farmers make left-hand turns to cross the busy intersection.
It renewed its request this year, asking for even a temporary light, to keep the public and farmers safe, with reports of 40-minute wait times for any vehicle to make its way into the steady stream of traffic.
Council, however, put the brakes on a set of temporary lights, voting in favour of a long-term solution being examined instead at its Sept. 5 meeting.
A $200,000 price tag was just one of a number of factors debated by members, who agreed a temporary fix wouldn't solve the problem.
The fact that neither King Township, Simcoe County nor York Region were interested in coming to the table, according to a letter from the Holland Marsh Drainage System Joint Municipal Service Board, despite the fact they have vested interests in the issue didn't sit well either.
BWG Counc. Gary Baynes, who sits on the board, said the answer was very clear from King Township that King and York Region "weren't going to pay a dime towards this".
