CENTRE WELLINGTON – John Scott wants to encourage a healthy and active community in Centre Wellington by connecting downtown Elora and Fergus with a safe walking and bicycle route.
Scott said he’s pushing this initiative through advocacy group Green Lanes, to encourage safe exercise to help with physical and mental health during the pandemic. Scott also sees it as a community development project and gift to the town.
He has reached out to township staff and a meeting is planned for the near future, he said.
“I sort of see it as a gift to the residents of Centre Wellington for doing so well in responding to COVID so far,” Scott said. “We know we have to live with this new normal and this is one way we can live with it.”
Scott imagines it could gain traction amongst cyclists in town and could lead to a Welly Loop riding club.
“You never know when you create something good, the creative people of Centre Wellington will come up with ways to use it for their well being,” Scott said.
He is looking to have this loop ready for the summer, so there isn’t major infrastructure needed besides a few traffic calming measures.
“It could be as simple as putting in a four-way stop,” Scott said. “It’s a simple process, we do it all the time for construction projects.”
There’s an economic aspect that Scott sees with the loop as well. With traditional summer holidays on hold, Scott said it will be helpful for local businesses for residents to shop in the area.
“One of the main focuses is to try to connect our two downtowns, Fergus and Elora, through a safe route that families could ride and feel very comfortable getting to the downtowns,” Scott said. “So in the summertime, people can go on excursions to the opposite downtowns.”
Scott said he thinks encouraging cyclists to use safe roads created with the Welly Loop will ease congestion on the trailways for walkers and families with young children.
“We are starting to have issues with too many people on the trailway,” Scott said. “ If we can get those people on to the roads instead, we can free up some space and make it more enjoyable for everyone.”
Scott is in the process of setting up a meeting with township staff to push this forward. He acknowledges that staff may not be on board with all the ideas. He has identified a few priority areas that could use traffic calming measures for residents to more safely get to trails and parks.
This initiative goes along with Green Lanes’ philosophy that actions taken in towns can influence the overall health of the community.
“What we actually build shapes what we do and it influences how we behave,” Scott said. “You can influence a more sedentary life by the decisions we make or we can encourage more active, social, and healthy lives by the infrastructure you create.”
