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John Webster A Strong Voice for Markham Ward Five |
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Traffic Snarls in the East End are being Eased.
August 26, 2009
Since I have been elected to serve you in 203, I have worked to help ease the traffic problems in the east end of Markham. The only street at that time that was wider than a 2 lane road was the Old Markham By-Pass, that ran from 16th to Highway 7. It was of little use.
9th LIne has been widened from north of 16th Avenue to Rose Way, and will be completed to 407 by the end of this year. It also now connects to the Don Cousens Parkway (New Markham By-Pass) right down to Steeles.
The northbound ramp on 9th Line to west bound 407 is opened, finally.
The Don Cousens Parkway is completed except the gap from 407 to 14th Avenue which will be done by next year.
Highway 7 and 16th Avenue have been widened and improved.
The 407 is now 6 lanes east to York-Durham Line.
The intersection at Highway 48 and Highway 7 is in the process of being improved and the section south of Highway 7 is being studied right now to figure a way to get the traffic over the Rouge River bridge.
The bottle neck that shows no improvement yet is the Steeles Ave. from Highway 48 to the York-Durham Line. I will continue to push the Region of York and the City of Toronto to stop ignoring this area.
New Bus Shelters
July 10, 2008
In the ongoing commitment to make our Transit system as convenient and comfortable as possible, there are new bus shelters being constructed this summer at Church Street and Country Glen Road. They are on the north-west and south west corners.
I am still working on the bus terminal which will be on the south side of Highway 7, well east of Bur Oak. It is part of the Shopping and Commercial area that is planned for this area.
Help for Highway 7 and Main Street
July 7, 2008
The intersection of Highway 7 and Main Street (Formerly Highway 48) has been a bottle neck for years. With a lot of work, I'm please to announce that steps have been taken to help.
Traffic Gridlock is an on-going concern, but this is a step in the right direction, and I thank all those from the Town of Markham and the Region of York who have worked with me on this.
Please click here for the full story.
Improvements and Upgrades to Transit Schedules
June 20. 2008
Markham Service Changes
Several YRT/Viva service changes will be going into effect on June 29, 2008.
Below is a summary of the changes for our area. All revised schedules are available at www.yrt.ca/schedules/service-changes.asp .
YRT/Viva Markham Service Changes – Effective June 29, 2008
• Viva purple
- Weekday rush hour service will be reduced to a 15-minute frequency for the summer months.
• Route 1 – Highway 7
- Due to an increase in use of Viva purple, Route 1 – Highway 7 will run on a decreased 15 to 20-minute frequency during the morning and afternoon rush hour periods.
- With the end of the school year at Markham District High School, all eastbound morning rush hour trips will operate along Highway 7.
- Also, the previous 3:05 p.m. trip departing from Markham District High School will now depart from Markham Stouffville Hospital at 3:20 p.m.
• Route 2 – Milliken
- NEW eastbound trips will depart from the Finch GO Bus Terminal at 5:50 a.m., 3:15 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- The existing 3:05 p.m. eastbound trip departing from Finch GO Bus Terminal will now depart five minutes earlier at 3 p.m.
- Service will be EXTENDED along Denison St. and Elson St. to provide service to the residential area east of Markham Rd. Minor weekday schedule adjustments will occur to accommodate this extension.
- There will also be minor weekday rush hour schedule adjustments due to the road closure along John St. between Henderson Ave. and Bayview Ave.
• Route 2A – 14th Avenue
- A westbound trip will now depart from Markham Stouffville Hospital at 3 p.m. for the summer months.
- With the end of the school year at Father McGivney Catholic Academy, the 2:47 p.m. eastbound trip departing from McCowan Rd. & 14th Ave. will be discontinued.
- With the end of the school year at Markham District High School, the 7:10am eastbound trip departing from McCowan Rd. & 14th Ave. will be discontinued.
• Route 18 – Bur Oak
- For an improved connection with TTC Route 129A – McCowan North, the 8:45 a.m. westbound trip from Markham Stouffville Hospital will now depart at 8:43 a.m.
• Route 85 – Rutherford/16th Avenue (Vaughan Mills Mall to Markham Stouffville Hospital)
- Major restructuring of the Rutherford Rd./Carrville Rd./16th Ave./Beaver Creek corridor will occur to accommodate a significant increase in demand.
- Route 85 will be restructured to operate from the Vaughan Mills Terminal to Markham Stouffville Hospital.
- Route 85 schedules will be adjusted for improved frequency and transfer connections along the entire corridor, with special emphasis placed at the intersections of Yonge St. & 16th Ave. and Leslie St. & 16th Ave.
• Route 303 – Cornell Express
- To provide express service north of 16th Ave., Route 303 – Cornell Express will be EXTENDED to McCowan Rd. & Bur Oak Ave. via Bur Oak Ave.
- This service will no longer service Raymerville Dr., Stone Mason Dr., 16th Ave., Fincham Ave., Larkin Ave. and White’s Hill Blvd. Route 301 – Markham Express will continue to service these streets.
• High School Specials
- With the end of the school year, all high school special routes and regular transit routes that divert to local high schools will be discontinued for the summer months.
- These high school specials will resume service in September.
• TTC in York Region
- For the summer months, TTC services north of Steeles Avenue will be slightly reduced because of lower ridership.
• TTC Route 224B – Woodbine Avenue
- To provide service further north of Vine Cliff Blvd., Route 224B – Woodbine Ave. will be EXTENDED to Stoney Hill Blvd. & Woodbine Ave.
• TTC Route 224D – Victoria Park North
- To provide service further north of Vine Cliff Blvd., Route 224D – Victoria Park North will be EXTENDED to Stoney Hill Blvd. & Woodbine Ave.
- To accommodate increasing demand, weekday rush hour service will be improved to a 30-minute frequency.
9th Line Still Scheduled to be Completed this Fall.
October 18, 2009
Please click here for further details.
9th Line and Highway 7 Completion
January 20, 2009
Construction will begin as soon as the frost is out of the ground this spring. The Contract has been approved.
Please click here for the long story.
Traffic Lights at Steeles and 9th Line
April 14 2008
I have been working with the Town Staff, the Region of York and The City of Toronto to get a solution to the traffic problems at Steels and 9th Line.
Regional Councillor Jim Jones made the Quote of the Day when he said, "We can widen and complete the Don Cousens Parkway from 407 all we want. Without solving the Steels intersection, we are just getting people to a traffic jam faster!"
Please click here to read the latest we've received from Toronto. Unbelievable!
More Traffic on the 9th Line?
The Region of York has recently initiated a review of the 1999 Environmental Study Report for the Ninth Line between Major Mackenzie Drive and Main Street Stouffville. The purpose of the review is to determine if the recommendations presented in the 1999 ESR specifically the construction of the 9th Line as a two lane roadway and the elimination of intersection jogs at Major Mackenzie Drive and Elgin Mills Road, are still the preferred alternatives.
Among other things, the Region will recommend that the 9th Line be reconstructed as a four lane roadway from Major Mackenzie Drive to Stouffville rather than a two lane facility. The reason for these recommended changes is to deal with the anticipated significant increase in projected traffic volumes heading from Stouffville to Highway 407.
This will undo the work that the residents of Ward 5 did in 1999. Please read more by clicking here.
Were you delayed on 14th Avenue Today?
June 28 2007
At approximately 3:00 pm this afternoon the contractor installing the Town’s new trunk watermain on 14th Avenue damaged a gasmain which has resulting in the closure of 14th Avenue from east of McCowan Road to east of Featherstone Avenue. It is expected that the closure will be in effect until approximately 7:00 pm tonight. All necessary emergency services personnel are on site as are repair crews from the gas company and Markham Engineering Department staff. There have been no damages reported other than the damage to the gasmain and although the risk is considered to be low, residents in the area have been advised of the situation and instructed as to precautions which should be taken until the break is repaired.
Update June 29 2009
Temporary repairs of the gasmain break on 14th Ave were completed without incident and 14th Ave was reopened to traffic at 6:55 pm. Permanent repairs are commencing and should be completed over the weekend
Traffic Light at Swan Lake/Amica and Mint Leaf Gate
There have been problems for pedestrians and cars to cross 16th Avenue, especially during rush hours. The lights are being extended and measures are being taken for pedestrians. Please click here for more information.
9th Line / Box Grove By-Pass Open by the End of July
The Box Grove Developers Group have advised that the 9th Line By-Pass will be open to traffic (one lane in each direction) on or about the 3rd week of July including the extension of Rouge Bank Drive and traffic signalization at Rouge Bank Drive and at 14th Avenue.
For the full story, please click 9th Line Box Grove By-Pass Open by the End of July
Good News: 9th Line Construction Commencement
The Contract has been signed to start the work on the Ninth Line. York Region has awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the Ninth Line form Rose Way to Bur Oak Avenue.
A reconstruction meeting has been conducted with the contractor. Preparatory works will commence in March 2007. Full fledged construction activity will commence in late April. Completion is forecasted by the end of November of this year.
Click here for more details.
Viva grows in 2008
December 17, 2007
Beginning January 27, 2008, Viva purple service will be extended to Markham Stouffville Hospital, serving the community east of McCowan Road for the first time.
The eastward extension will service existing YRT stops with new VivaNow fare validating machines located at Highway 48 / Main Street Markham and Wootten Way, and a new viva station on Church Street in front of Markham Stouffville Hospital.
To accommodate future service expansions, Cornell Terminal is planned to be constructed in east Markham for service connections and bus turnarounds. Discussions to confirm the site and timing for Cornell terminal are in progress.
All Day, 2 Way Go Service Announced.
December 15, 2007
Good News!
It was reported that the Ontario Government will announce $100 million in immediate improvements to GO Transit services. The funding plan includes $20 million for new passing track sections for GO’s Stouffville and Bradford Corridors.
The cash injunction will be used to provide all-day, two way service between Toronto and Markham as well as Toronto and Newmarket.
Our Manager of Transportation, Sabbir Saiyed, P.Eng., spoke with Dan Francey, Manager of Transportation Planning and Development, GO Transit and he mentioned that the target date for completing the construction work of Grade Separation (at Hagerman near Unionville Station) is December 2008. The work on by-pass track will have to go through EA process as well as design & construction. This is expected to be completed by late 2009/2010. The all-day service to Unionville will commence with one-hour headways sometime in 2009.
GO Transit is planning to have extended all-day service to all stations in GO’s Stouffville corridors including Mount Joy; however it may take sometime as the GO wants to complete the construction of by-pass track. Dan Francey, Manager of Transportation Planning/Development at GO Transit, was not sure of the timings, but he mentioned that it is going to happen soon after opening the service to Unionville.
9th Line is Open - Bus Routes Change
November 21 2007
With the opening of 9th Line, there are changes to the bus routes in the East End of Markham. Please click here for the information.
York Region Transit Route Change for the Fall.
Starting September 2, 2007, York Region Transit and Viva routes will change to serve the public better. I've listed some of the changes to the Routes in the East End of Markham. Please click here for the information.
How do students get from Cornell to Bur Oak High School? Please click here
Box Grove By-Pass Finally Open
For the past 3 years, I have been working hard with Council, the Developers, and the Region to get the Box Grove By-Pass open. It is finally being done.
The barriers will be removed and opened to traffic on Saturday August 18, 2007 at 6:00 a.m.
Finally some relief for southbound traffic. Now if we can just get The City of Toronto to co-operate with Steeles Ave ..........
Bur Oak Open from Church to Highway 7
May 28 2007, 5:45 pm
At the last Council meeting, I made another plea to cut the red tape and get
Bur Oak Open. My motion was not only passed, but heartily endorsed. With thanks to the Regional Councillors and the Town and Regional Staff, as well as the developers, the road will be open by the time you come home from work tomorrow afternoon on May 29.
Hallelujah.
Transit figures are In
More transit users means less cars on the road.
Our year-end numbers are in and 2006 rider ship reached 17.1 million, representing a 12.4% increase over the previous year. This translates to some 70,000 fare-paying passengers using our services each weekday.
Please click here the PDF file of the Spring 2007 publication from YRT.
April 7 2006
Relieving Traffic Congestion on McCowan
Relieving traffic congestion on McCowan will have an effect on Ward 5 as motorist find McCowan a more efficient method for southbound traffic. This should relieve some of the pressure on Main Street Markham. Please click here for the details of the Environmental Assessment. (This is a Word Document) April 5 2007
Community Memo notice about the building of a Bus Loop in Cornell
A motion was brought to Regional Council to build
a temporary bus loop at the corner of
Trucks, Trucks, Truck - Bypass Extension
The Markham Bypass Extension is currently being studied by the Region of York who have retained McCormick Rankin Corporation. The study for a north- south transportation link in the southeast York Region.
Read the complete article, click here.
Cycling Implementation Plan
Phase one of the Cycling Implementation Plan has been endorsed by Council and will be updated as required with input from the Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Read the complete article, click here.
Controlling the Traffic Monster
Traffic is worse every year. Often the engineers' solution to this is to plough big, wide roads through the centres of quiet neighbourhoods. There are other solutions, such as the Bypass and innovative traffic control technologies. I will defend your neighbourhood and support new tools to untangle the traffic gridlock.
Read the complete article, click here.
Speeding Vehicles
There is no single answer that will work for the entire Ward. Each area needs to be fully informed and be part of the decision making process, so we can find the method that will work best for them.
Speed Bumps have been installed in many areas of Ward Five. These need to be analyzed to gauge their effectiveness. Raised intersections and medians have been installed on John Street in Thornhill. These too need to be analyzed.
Long wide stretches of residential roadways encourage speeders, who would be slowed by adequate stop signs. More frequent police patrols also discourage speeders, as well as make the Ward a safer place to live, work and play.
Grid Locked Streets
It would be nice if we all worked in our local neighbourhood and could commute by foot or bicycle. Many can, and technology is allowing many more to be able to, but Ward Five needs integrated bikeways and pathways, kept in good condition year 'round. And where there is no other way than on the road, we need bike lanes.
I will push hard for the Highway 7 corridor to be completed, with the proposed transit right of ways. Traffic Lights need to be coordinated. And they need to take into account that there are senior citizens, children and parents using our intersections. An intersection should be a safe place to cross, not a place to make a mad dash to the opposite curb.
A complete interchange at 407 and 9th line is required, with proper lanes for easy entrance and exit.
The new Federal Government has promised more money for traffic and transit measures to the Municipality, and I intend on making certain that Ward 5 benefits from it.
Increased Traffic from New Development
The design of the new developments must not only reflect the style of surrounding areas, but must also be designed to keep traffic moving slowly and safely in the residential areas, yet with easy entrance and exit to the feeder routes. Now is the time to do it, rather than try to fix problems afterwards. There are good developers and then there are the others! I will strongly fight against poor design that does not fit what is needed in Ward Five.
Transit
It should not take an hour to get from one side of the Town to the other! We have a new provincial government with promises of money for transit. I will make sure that Ward Five gets its fair share. The Highway 7 corridor must be completed without delay, including a light rail system that does not stop before the 9th line. In fact, I will push for it to continue to the Town Line instep with eastern development.
Welcome
This web site provides a forum where I can bring you up to date on issues and events at the Town of Markham that affect the quality of living in our Ward.
To contact me regarding any issue please click here for the contact page.
Please visit this page to see what some residents of East Markham have to say about John.