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County Council supports transit lay-by at Edelbrock Centre

April 1, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Mike Baker

Given the number of vehicles that daily drive by Orangeville’s community garden, Mayor Sandy Brown doesn’t think adding a handful of municipal buses to the mix will do much harm.

The issue came up during Dufferin County’s March 14 public meeting. It was included amongst details of a previous Community Services/Dufferin Oaks/Museum Committee meeting.

County council approved Orangeville’s use of space near the Edelbrock Centre. Its approval was contingent upon Orangeville council hosting public information sessions about the plans.

The county also wants Orangeville to develop an agreement regarding the lay-by construction, maintenance, and future improvements. 

“I think that will help to communicate properly what this situation could do for the transportation facilities,” said Laura Ryan, Mono’s mayor and the committee’s chairperson.

The 2016 Orangeville Transit Optimization Study promoted a centralized transit terminal in the bus route to improve transfers and travel times.

Several possible transit terminal locations were considered and ultimately rejected before the town’s council settled on locating the new terminal lay-by on Centre Street beside the Edelbrock Centre.

Some residents and organizations are concerned about having idling and accelerating diesel-burning vehicles so close to the Orangeville Community Garden.

Heavy vehicles that burn diesel tend to release particulates into the air. There’s a fear among community garden users those noxious substances will end up on fruits, vegetables, and nuts there.

Deputy Mayor Andy Macintosh, who also represents the town at the county level, suggested during a recent town council meeting the former train station could be a suitable location for the lay-by. But that, too, was ultimately ruled out as a possibility.

Mr. Macintosh told his colleagues at the county level March 14 that the space near the Edelbrock Centre is the town’s desired location. He said the municipality has already done public consultation and will continue to do so.

Aside from the fear of particulates, accommodating Orangeville Transit buses at the site will mean at least half the trees planted at the garden must be removed.

John Creelman, Mono’s deputy mayor, asked about the feasibility of moving the community garden from its current location. But there’s been speculation that moving the garden even 15 metres west would put in on ground too stony to accommodate it.

The Orangeville mayor thinks concern over having to move the community garden and worry for air-borne pollutants may be moot points.

“There’s 4,000 cars a day that go by this community garden,” said Brown. “It’s been that way for three or four years now. I’m not quite understanding all the brouhaha over a couple buses because there’s 4,000 cars a day going by there.”

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