I suggested that it was poor planning on part of the town, something Deputy Mayor Allan English disagreed with. His reasoning was that the Planning Committee does a good job but the town’s hands are tied by financial constraints. Perhaps, we do have a huge debt. But this begs the question as to why the town continues to allow high density subdivisions when the traffic - and other infrastructure needs - have to be addressed. And just who does the Planning Committee report to? Ultimately, it’s the council who has the final say. And sometimes they should just say no.
To be honest, I have a lot of respect for Allan – he's one of a few on council who butts heads with Mayor Wiseman on a regular basis. One of the contentious issues between the two is the purposed widening of Karwood Drive from two lanes to four. This will be an extremely costly endeavor. But it begs the question, why wasn’t this done when the road was build a few years ago? Town hall, which includes the Planning Committee, knew traffic volume would increase. Now the town will have to pay 6-7 million dollars (not counting cost overruns) to widen and flatten the road. How is this good planning? Or being fiscally responsible?
Speaking of financial responsibility, the town should have taken into account the cost overruns of widening Topsail Road. It’s behind schedule and over budget. It’s facing problems with land expropriation, Newfoundland Hydro, Rogers, etc, etc; I feel this is another example of short-sighted planning. I’m not an engineer, but anyone could have seen this coming.
And what about the developers? Shouldn’t they be required to put roads in that will handle the traffic? If they don’t build the roads, they can’t build subdivisions. It’s as simple as that.
I have to agree with the bad traffic in Paradise. It's really bad in the afternoons. Are you sure about Karwood Drive? I don't recall any debate about it. My kids go to school there and traffic is bad. Four lanes would be good but the construction would be a pain.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, Karwood is scheduled to be expanded. It's stated in the traffic report available on the town's website. However, I believe it was supposed to have started a year or so ago. My point was that it should have been four lanes initially - for both convenience and a huge saving to taxpayers. It's slated to cost 6 or 7 million but that will likely be higher. Just look at the overruns on the expansion to Topsail Road.
ReplyDelete