CORNWALL, Ontario – The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) told Cornwall City Council that they can expect new commuter lots to be installed on Brookdale Ave. and in St. Andrews West in South Stormont in the Fall of 2019.
The St. Andrews West lot will be located on the west side of Hwy 138 just north of Valade Rd. That lot will have 28 spaces, three barrier free parking spaces, one van space and a bus loop.
The lot in the City of Cornwall will be located at the very north end of Brookdale Ave.
The Brookdale Ave. lot will have 65 parking spots, four barrier free parking spaces, two van spaces and a bus loop.
Both lots will have lighting. The construction and maintenance of the lots will be handled by the MTO.
“The rationale is we build these lots and reduce the traffic on the 138 is it not,” asked Cornwall City Councillor Dean Hollingsworth.
“It is one of the goals,” replied Angelo Renon of Stantec, the firm that formulated the report and designs for the MTO. “It was one of the aspects we looked at. We identified spaces where they could be built before development could move in.”
Renon explained that the goal of the commuter lots was to make Hwy 138 safer and to reduce greenhouse gas output from motor vehicles.
“I think the goal is primarily to reduce the number of cars that have a single person in it and reduce our greenhouse gases,” he said. “The safety aspect is there because it reduces the number of cars on he road, it is not a huge reduction, but the impact is there.”
Councillor Syd Gardiner thanked the Stantec representatives for working to reduce the dangers on Hwy 138.
“I’m going to say thank you, because a few years ago, MTO came to this table and told us that there weren’t enough deaths on the 138 to warrant widening the highway, and these lots will take more cars off the road,” he said.
There were 46 reported accidents on Hwy 138 during 2017.
When asked by Mayor Bernadette Clement, Renon said that most of the feedback they had received from public consultations on the lots had mostly been about safety.
“There were some concerns about noise and lighting,” he said. “There were some misinterpretation of the plans. Typically the lots are quite safe and visible.”
During the late spring and early summer, a Design and Construction report will be presented for a 30-day public review.
Councillors said they hoped to promote the lots and get feedback from the public during the public consultation period.
