If you think that riding your bicycle on Ottawa Street is hell on Earth, then now is the time to say something about it.
The Region of Waterloo is holding a public open house on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Alpine Public School (75 Lucerne Dr., Kitchener) as a part of its legal obligations for an environmental assessment of Ottawa Street between Elmsdale Drive and Imperial Drive.
This stretch of Ottawa Street has been consistently deemed as having one of the worst accident records in the region, and regional planners are itching to make changes. As well, Ottawa Street is a signficant west-east cycling route in the south-central part of Kitchener. Although the street has been identified in the 2004 regional cycling master plan as a planned long-term cycling route, it is very possible that cycling needs might be forgotten in the move to reduce motor vehicle collisions, unless you attend to express your concerns.
Under the Environmental Assessment Act, if major work is going to be done on a major artery, at least one public consultation centre must be held. There could be more, but don't bet on it. My guess is that this three-hour window on Oct. 28 is the opportunity you have to show up and make some noise.
If you have ever ridden Ottawa Street, you know that the majority of cyclists use the sidewalks. I've watched road-using cyclists grit their teeth as they head west from Hoffman Street to the expressway underpass, hoping they won't be hit from behind cars that regularly exceed the speed limit and come too close to the right side of their lane on the curves. (Too bad the study area stops at Imperial, as a much larger stretch, from Courtland to Westmount, is pretty dodgy for cyclists.)
If you want to know more, go here for the regional info. There are two contact names, phone numbers and email addresses, for Nick Palomba and Wayne Cheater. If you can't make it to the open house, then call or write them about your observations, concerns and suggestions.
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