...coverage of the traffic management discussion in this week's advance...online...

Town to help with music festival traffic study Posted 20 mins ago

Town council has unanimously adopted a resolution to work with Project Niagara on potential traffic problems.

Councillors will also be working with residents who are concerned about possible traffic and parking problems that could result from the proposed 17-week international music festival, and will direct the town's traffic committee to develop terms of reference for a traffic and parking management plan.

"This is the breakthrough we needed," said Bill Falk, Project Niagara board member and resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake. "This is the middle ground where the residents, the town and Project Niagara can work together. How parking and traffic is managed is of fundamental importance to us."

A traffic study conducted by Delcan Corporation and presented to residents in July determined that the existing road network in and around Niagara-on-the-Lake could handle extra traffic for the festival, but several people opposed to the project protested the study did not cover enough ground.

That same study also recommended a number of measures to alleviate traffic on nearby roadways, including reducing the number of parking spaces at the proposed site from 2,000 to 1,500, and said more work is needed on several issues.

In a letter Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs received earlier this month, Robert Weese, chair of the Project Niagara board of directors, said he recognizes there is still much work to be done on traffic and parking and how it will be managed "in order to respect the existing ambience and heritage nature of the town."

Weese acknowledged the concerns of residents in the Chautauqua and Garrison Village nieghbourhoods regarding visitors using their streets as shortcuts and as convenient places to park.

In his letter, Weese asked the town to work with Project Niagara to develop a plan that will meet everyone's needs.

In approving a town recommendation to convene council's parking and traffic committee to work with Project Niagara, council also voted to have concerned residents involved in the study.

Project Niagara proponents are hoping to receive funding from the province and the federal government for the next stage of the design, development and construction of the festival, with an opening target date of 2012, on the condition that a traffic and parking management plan will be completed to the satisfaction of the town.

Weese also promised residents' concerns of concert noise from the Parks Canada Lakeshore Road property will be addressed.

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