Road Ahead: Traffic, transit changes coming to Aurora
Yorkregion.com
Jan. 4, 2016
By Teresa Latchford
While 2015 set a good precedent for getting things done this term of council, Aurora Mayor Geoff Dawe said there will be more to come in 2016.
The two major projects that will be implemented in the New Year include the work needed to turn Aurora’s new cultural precinct into a destination for arts, culture and recreation, as well as the reduction of Yonge Street to one lane in the Wellington Street area to create parking on either side.
Council is set to discuss the report laying out a guide for what the town should be aiming for when it comes to the cultural precinct in January and if the new parking plan for Yonge gets the green light from council, it could be piloted as early as this summer.
“When I go to the library and the parking lot is full, I just don’t feel comfortable parking on Yonge Street and I’m not the only one,” Dawe said. “If I had little ones, I wouldn’t park there, either.”
The changes will make the area more accessible, pedestrian friendly and easier on the eyes once the landscaping is complete, he added.
As for predictions on the Highland Gate development outcome at the Ontario Municipal Board, Dawe can’t say, but it will be one of council’s challenges in the next year, he predicts.
He hopes to tackle the Mavrinac property the town secured following court proceedings with a developer and council is just waiting for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan to be finalized to ensure it has all of the information before making a decision on how to best utilize the land.
Aurora will also see traffic congestion eased by the widening of St. John’s Sideroad and Leslie Street in the north east quadrant. York Region has already started this work.
Council intends to continue to lobby for an exchange on to Hwy. 404 from St. John’s.
However, the mayor is excited to see the aggressive approach the province is taking in laying the second track needed to provide GO train service every 15 minutes in Aurora.
