| Editor, Sarnia Observer Nov 11, 1999 Dear Sir: I note MPP Caroline DiCocco has recently presented to Queen's Park the local portion of the Canadian Automobile Association initiated petition calling for safety related improvements to the 401. Replying to my own concerns prior to the election, the CAA agreed the "paved walkway" built as part of Lakeshore Road east of Murphy in 1996 was also a dangerous condition. Then Transport Minister Tony Clement, now handling Municipal Affairs, offered it to be an "unusual situation". Locally, this would not be thought of as unusual. It's yet another monument of the "wasted and fragmented effort" between city and county governments. The number one negative of this area identified by the Council of Economic Renewal in their Vision 2020 report of 1995. With the many very bent and held noses within Liberal ranks and the dust settling from the shredded files in David Boushy's office, maybe now we'll get some fresh air circulating as our new MPP gets down to the business of representing the interests of the constituency. To add to her workload, I'm pleased to say she'll get a copy of the correspondence relevant to this issue so she can get up to speed quicker. Perhaps Terry Burrell, who's written some very informative columns on this page and praised the reconstruction of Christina St. downtown, could weigh in on this issue and example of a county road within city limits. Perhaps he'd care to address my concerns in light of what's instructed to schoolchildren in road safety, build quality of the storm water inlets, implications for the impending Official Plan and finally, an accounting exercise of accumulated moneys with interest compounded for services paid for and not delivered over the years in the affected area of the former Clearwater. It'll be very interesting to me to see how our new MPP handles this and for that matter, the Municipal Affairs Minister too. Clearly, for me anyway, the solution lies in wholesale restructuring of municipal government. If the Observer is still keeping track, then this is my candidate for worst road in the city now. It has potential to be one of the most friendly to commuting and touring cyclists and with a very desirable and possible adjacent but road-separated paved trail like the St. Clair River Trail, to pedestrians, skateboarders and rollerbladers as well. Yours truly, George Sunaitis |
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