An underpass will be among the options considered to improve safety around a rail crossing on Edinburgh Road, north of Waterloo Avenue, city council confirmed on Monday.
That unanimous decision comes on the heels of public concerns about a consultant’s recommendation calling on the city to launch an environmental assessment to identify potential options to improve safety at rail crossings along the Metrolinx line. That recommendation specifically mentions an underpass option, with likely land expropriation needed if that were to happen.
Several residents in that neighbourhood were “shocked” to learn their property could be impacted by an underpass, prompting Mayor Cam Guthrie to initially propose a motion that would have eliminated an underpass as one of the options being considered, but he pulled that idea back in favour of an EA that considers all reasonable options.
“I was, frankly, really frightened,” commented Amy Withers, who said her home is one of the properties identified for potential expropriation to make way for an underpass. She raised concerns about an underpass hurting connectivity of the area. “If you put in an underpass, we will not be a connected neighbourhood.”
If an underpass goes ahead, five streets will be dead-ended, she noted.
Questioned by Coun. Phil Allt, Withers acknowledged she’d like to see the environmental assessment consider all options.
“Hopefully an underpass will not be forced upon us,” she said.
If any options were eliminated ahead of the assessment, the study may not be approved by the province, city staff warned, noting the city could be ordered to redo the assessment and consider an underpass option.
At the urging of delegates and others, council approved a motion directing city staff to solicit community feedback on the development of a problem question to be answered through the EA.
“Everything we’ve talking about is meaningless without this,” commented Coun. Mike Salisbury. “It’s even more important that we’re clear in what the problem is we’re trying to solve.”
That motion passed 7-4, with opposition from councillors Phil Allt, June Hofland, Dominique O’Rourke and Cathy Downer.
“I just don’t know how it would be possible to build consensus,” Hofland said of gathering public feedback, prompting Salisbury to point out the motion doesn’t call for consensus.
Terry Gayman, the city’s general manager of engineering, explained the problem question is typically crafted at the staff level. That added step is expected to add three to six months and use more staff resources.
“I believe this issue is large enough for an extra step in the process,” noted Guthrie.
