Trail extensions proposed for London, including three to its centrepiece Thames Valley Parkway, are drawing praise from politicians and some caution from residents.
Trail extensions proposed for London, including three to its centrepiece Thames Valley Parkway, are drawing praise from politicians and some caution from residents.
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Four projects worth $4.5 million are on the docket, with London city hall hoping to tap into a new federal fund half the cost of active transportation works.
“There’s been wonderful interest from the community,” Ward 12 Coun. Elizabeth Peloza said at Tuesday’s meeting of council’s civic works committee, thanking the public for “making sure we know how much they love the facilities and what they’d like to see.”
Her colleagues said they were eager to support the application to Ottawa in hope of securing up to $2.7 million for the extensions. Cities have to submit their wish lists by the end of the month.
“The Thames Valley Parkway is really the jewel of our active transportation plan. I’m thrilled to see that’s the direction some of these investments are going,” Ward 1 Coun. Michael van Holst said.
“People have enjoyed the trails a lot. Having plowed them made a big difference. I see lots of people using them, and visitors are thrilled as well. So this is good news,” he added.
But several politicians, especially in London’s southeast around Meadowlily Woods — a popular natural spot southeast of Hamilton Road and Highbury Avenue — shared citizen concerns about building paved or gravel trails through environmentally significant areas (ESAs), of which Meadowlily is one.
“This is a very valuable link to the Thames Valley Parkway and I’m happy to see it coming through. I just need to alleviate some concerns in the area,” Ward 14 Coun. Steve Hillier, who represents the area, said Tuesday.
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City staff are preparing a map to show in more detail where the four trail extensions are proposed: the Hyde Park Rotary trail in northwest London, the Stoney Creek path in the northeast, the Mudd Creek area near Oxford Street, and the south branch of the Thames Valley Parkway near Meadowlily Woods.
The exact placement of those trails hasn’t yet been decided, staff stressed.
“One of the administrative options is to go around the ESA. . . . There’s several options there that we can look at,” city parks director Scott Stafford said, calling the Meadowlily area “cherished.”
Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis said he’d prefer a path through development that’s planned near one side of Meadowlily Woods or along Commissioners Road.
“It’s really a treasure that’s enjoyed by everyone in the east end, so I certainly have concerns when I hear that there might be (paved) trails going through the ESA, but I’m much more comfortable hearing staff’s preferred option in terms of land acquisition, routes through the development as the residential infill occurs there.”
City council will make the final call on applying for federal funding at its March 22 meeting.