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Mono Council holds special meeting on proposed hike & bike trail

September 20, 2019   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Mono Council held a special meeting at the Monora Pavilion on Wednesday, September 11, to discuss a plan for proposed development of an interconnected walking and cycling trail system for south Mono.

The system would connect Mono’s trails  to the adjacent Orangeville ones to make it easier for Mono residents to walk or bike to nearby businesses or services in the area. The route would also be used for recreational cycling or walking. 

A committee from the Town studied the local area and came up with several routes that connect some existing natural trails with accessible gravel trails. 

Many areas are already in good condition and would require no improvement while other areas may need some maintenance to improved existing conditions.

The routes would be marked with signage for cyclists as well as to warn motorists that bike riders may be on the road.

In several areas, the routes would be designated by signs only on existing residential streets as a guide for local residents for the easiest way to follow the route to Orangeville. 

However, some residents in two subdivisions – Cardinal Woods West and Masters Creek – expressed concerns that a bike route in their neighbourhood would bring the wrong element to the area.

A large percentage of those in attendance were from the Cardinal Woods West subdivision.

Several people commented that public information on the trail system had not been made available to them prior to that evening.

It was pointed out that information on the trail system is available online and the meeting was listed on the Council’s upcoming agenda. 

Several residents voiced concerns that designating a street as a bicycle route would turn the subdivision into a ‘destination route’ for visiting cyclists and could result in an increase in crime in the area as well as increase in traffic and the parking problems that would come with cyclists arriving by car to unload their bicycles.

One resident said he moved to Mono to escape from the ‘riffraff’ from Mississauga and Brampton who would now be arriving to cycle through the neighbourhood.

While a couple of people did offer support for the hiking and cycling trail, saying it was good for both the environment and physical fitness, the majority in attendance, by a show of hands, had a negative response to designating a route through their subdivision.

Members of the Town Council said they would take into consideration the view of those living in the subdivision when making a final determination on the new trail.

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