There are many questions that need to be asked before a design decision is made to widen
Niska Road and replace the Heritage Bailey Bridge:
Here’s a sampling of questions you may want to ask:
The Niska Road Bailey Bridge spans the Heritage Speed River. It is part the beautiful heritage
landscape which includes the view of the river looking west down Niska Road from Ptarmigan Drive.
1. We currently have 13 seconds at peak traffic times to exit our driveways and streets onto Niska.
How will we get out of our driveways and adjacent streets safely?
2. Won’t more traffic make the situation even more unsafe?
3. What is the reason the cultural heritage landscape was not evaluated before the preferred option
was selected?
4. Won’t widening Niska from Ptarmigan Drive to the Speed River destroy the trees in the
hedgerows, the forest edge and cause more road kill?
5. Will Niska Road be re-graded from Downey to the Speed River? Won’t this destroy the scenic
beauty of the road and area?
6. Niska Road divides lands owned by the GRCA. Rather than widen the road for sidewalks and
bike lanes can these be built off road on GRCA lands?
7. How much more traffic can we expect if the GRCA decides to sell their 8 hectares on the south
side of Niska for residential development which could include 6 stories or more apartment
buildings
8. There is a company in the USA that makes bailey bridges and has parts. Could the Bailey bridge
be rehabilitated and paired with a small pedestrian bailey bridge similar in design?
9. How are you going to safely separate pedestrians and bikes from bridge traffic?
10. On the Puslinch side of the bridge, will there be bikes lanes and pedestrian sidewalks?
11. Niska Rd. is a listed as a collector Road. Isn’t the purpose of a collector to move traffic from local
streets to an arterial road? Why would the city encourage regional traffic thru a stable
neighbourhood?
12. The regional traffic originates or ends at Whitelaw and Wellington 124 – what is the reason this
area left out of your study area?
13. What assurance do we have that the city of Guelph will put in traffic calming? It has been
promised in the past…Is there money proposed in the 2015 budget for traffic calming on Niska?
14. In 1977 the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) purchased the 116 acres on the north
and south side of Niska owned by the Kortright Waterfowl Park. The lands were supposed to be
used for nature viewing and enjoyment. More traffic will impact our enjoyment. How much noise
and air pollution will widening the road cause?
For more information, please go to our website: http://protectourspeedriverheritagevalleylands.ca
Or, email us at: [email protected]
You can’t imagine what might happen without your support…