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Waterloo Complex. Oneâ€" or twoâ€"way traffic â€" that‘s the question uesday, Sept. 25, 2001 will be | an important day for the peoâ€" ple of Waterloo, especially for the residents and merchants in the uptown or core area. On that day there will be an open house from 3â€" 9 p.m. at the Hauser Haus in the The steering committee and consultant who have been workâ€" ing on the uptown Waterloo transâ€" portation study will present recomâ€" mendations for improving transâ€" portation and mobility in the uptown area. While the recommendations are not allâ€"encompassing â€" they do not address nonâ€"structural matters or midâ€" and longâ€"term traffic solutions â€" they do represent shortâ€"term issues on which the public‘s input is solicited. The shortâ€"term issues to be presented to the public are: * Converting Albert Street and Erb Street west of Albert to twoâ€"way streets. * Retaining the complete oneâ€" way system comprising Erb Street and Bridgeport Road. _ â€" * Improving Caroline Street between Erb and William Streets. Of the three issues, the only one that is considered complex and conâ€" troversial is the recommendation to retain the oneâ€"way traffic system in Waterloo. Proponents of retaining the oneâ€" way system generally use these arguments: * Conversion to twoâ€"way traffic may reduce the eastâ€"west traffic through the core, which may cause core merchants to lose business. * Pedestrians are used to the oneâ€" way vehicular traffic now and are comfortable with having to look only oneâ€"way when crossing Erb Street or Bridgeport Road. * Conversion to twoâ€"way traffic may encourage vehicular traffic to switch to bordering neighborhaod streets. Personally, I don‘t believe these arguments have much merit. If there is any reduction in the eastâ€" west traffic because of the converâ€" You said it wHAT ARE _ §ME you Lookinc [4 4# FORWARDTO WA MOST ABOUT i GOING BACK TO SCHOOL? QUESTION Memorial â€" Recreation sion, it would be in the through â€"trafâ€" fic that has its origin and destination outside the core; that is, drivers who are intent on getting through the core as quickly as possible. Merchants trying to get the attenâ€" tion of these singleâ€"minded drivers could be likened to Yonge Street merchants in Toronto trying to get the attention of drivers going from Etobicoke to Scarborough on the Pedestrians who feel comfortâ€" able with oneâ€"way traffic are disâ€" counting the danger, noise and polâ€" lution caused by oneâ€"way speeders who think they‘re on one side of a multiâ€"lane _ divided _ highway, because that is essentially what hapâ€" pens on Erb Street and Bridgeport Road now. While neighbourhoods borderâ€" ing on Erb Street and Bridgeport Road have a legitimate fear of vehiâ€" cles switching to their streets, this could be discouraged by the use of stop signs and/or other traffic calmâ€" ing devises. The Mennoâ€"Euclid neighborâ€" hood is an excellent example of where steps to calm the traffic have been successfully implemented. Those who favour the total conâ€" version from oneâ€"way to twoâ€"way traffic in the eastâ€"west direction put forth these arguments: * It will provide Waterloo and the uptown core with a more balanced transportation system, where the interests of pedestrians, cyclists and transit users will be balanced against those of motorists. This is in keeping with the Vision for Uptown Traffic that was developed at an earâ€" lier workshop. * The conversion from oneâ€"way to twoâ€"way has been tried successâ€" fully in other communities, includâ€" ing the neighbouring cities of Kitchener and Cambridge. * The oneâ€"way system is outdatâ€" ed,. as it was designed in an era when traffic engineering had only one objective; to accommodate as many cars as possible as quickly as possiâ€" ble. Today‘s traffic engineers are more concerned with balanced trafâ€" "Starting a new school and making new friends "Playing the Memory game with my friends." Hannah Wardell ) THE CHRONICL] Natasha Wight COMMENT fic systems in core areas that reflect the goal of having urban centres where people can live, work, shop, and be educated and entertained. This is also the Vision for Uptown Waterloo. The consultant working on the traffic study is also in favour of converting to a twoâ€"way system, but feels that the public, merchants and politicians currently favour retention of the oneâ€"way system. * The eastâ€"west conversion would balance the traffic flow with the northâ€"south traffic. The main northâ€"south traffic artery is King Street and it is currently considered close to ideal by all stakeholders; the public, merchants and politicians. So, why not duplicate the current northâ€"south traffic system? Those who argue that King Street works so well because it is augmented with other northâ€"south arteries such as Weber Street and Westmount Road should note that besides Erb and Bridgeport there are other eastâ€"west arteries _ such _ as â€" University, Columbia and Northfield. * In addition to planned improvements to Columbia Street, there are midâ€" to longâ€"term plans underway for extending Westmount Road north to Northfield Drive, to complete the Conestoga Parkway so that it encircles the cities of Waterloo and Kitchener and to proâ€" vide a direct link between Waterloo and Highway 401. These plans will not be part of the presentation at the open house on Sept. 25, but they should be part of the final traffic study recommendations. My plea to readers is â€" please attend the open house at the Waterloo â€" Memorial Recreation Complex on Sept. 25. The hours (from 3â€"9 p.m.) have been chosen to give everyone the opportunity for input, both verbally and via the questionnaire provided. Make your input as reasoned and as thoughtful as possible, after considering all the arguments on this very important issue. Dick Tyssen, Uptown Waterloo Vision and Implementation committee "I‘m looking forâ€" ward to drawing lions and tigers." "Playing hopscotch with my friends and wearing my new Barbie backpack." WiTURY Last Saturday afternoon, I happened to be eating lunch at Bingeman Park at the same time that organizers for the Canadian Alliance were preparing for the arrival of Stockwell Day in the neighbouring picnic area. I left the area and headed for the miniâ€"golf course and water slides just before he arrived {my responsibilities as a dad far outweighing my columnist duties), but found the "Dayâ€"before" experience to be an educaâ€" tional one nevertheless. First of all, unless Day arrived with a busload of 100 supâ€" porters, there is no way that media estimates about attendance were accurate (CKCOâ€"TV said that 150 attended, while The Record put the number at 175). When we left the area, there were no more than 40 people waiting for Stockwell. A frantic advance person spent a lot of time on her cell phone, presumâ€" ably trying to delay Day‘s arrival until more than a dozen peoâ€" ple were there to greet him. 1 overheard a number of people complaining about him being late. Of course, in addition to overestimating the crowd, the media accounts also focussed on the question of the 12 dissiâ€" dents now sitting as the Democratic Representative Caucus. Day was quoted as telling "some people in the party (that they} need to grow up". As difficult as the last few months have been for Day, the personality issues have maaas in essentially provided him with a free e en | ride in terms of policy. No one asks ANOTHER Stockwell Day about issues any more. VIEW This is a dangerous trend, as Day may I still win the leadership contest that he .. [R Pig . | has engineered. Though his caucus in | |f & this event would likely be about the | 9e . size of the group that gathered last e a Saturday, he would still be leader of SmRA BT the Official Opposition. | wÂ¥ | * What is your view on the federal SCOTT Cabinet‘s decision to strip Helmut PIATKOWSKI Oberlander of his citizenship? Is this view influenced in any way by the fact that the Oberlanders donated $1,000 to your candidate in Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo in the last federal election campaign? Here are some of the questions that the media should be asking Stockwell Day: * In response to questions regarding how your religious beliefs affect your political actions, you‘ve stated that you believe that "every single word of the Bible is true" and should be interpreted literally. Does this mean that you believe, for example, that we should "stone disobedient children"? If so, how would this method of discipline be practised and regulatâ€" ed? * While you were an Alberta cabinet minister, you argued that abortions should not be funded by the provincial governâ€" ment and also suggested that "even in the case of rape or incest" abortion should be illegal. Isn‘t this kind of policy contrary to the constitution? How can you justify forcing any woman, let alone a victim of rape or incest, to bear a child that she does not wish to carry to term? * You have stated that lesbians and gay men do not deserve to be protected by human rights legislation because "homosexâ€" uality is a choice that people make". Religion and political beliefs are choices that people make as well, yet they are proâ€" hibited grounds of discrimination. Can your argument be extended to mean that you think that human rights protections should be removed for all such choices? Or, are you willing to now admit that sexual orientation should be a prohibited ground of discrimination in all human rights codes? * Your party‘s policy on citizenâ€"initiated referendums was ridiculed during the election campaign when This Hour Has 22 Minutes launched a campaign to force you to change your name to Doris Day (which, we should note, you still have not done). While the technique used was humour, the serious mesâ€" sage behind the effort was that your policy is dangerously full of holes. What steps have you taken to ensure that your referenâ€" dum strategy could not be abused in this kind of a way? * During the leaders‘ debate, you held up a sign that read "No Twoâ€"Tier Health Care" in an attempt to diffuse questions about your health strategy. Yet, as a cabinet minister in Alberta, you voted in favour of Bill 11, which permits private hospitals. How do you reconcile your stated opposition to private medicine when you missed the ideal opportunity to prove it? Instead of asking these kinds of serious questions, however, political reporters continue to focus on the soap opera of what Chuck Strahl said to Deb Grey and what Randy White wrote to Chuck Strahl. As entertaining as the spectacle of the Canadian Alliance unravelling is, we should expect and demand more from the news media. My picnic with Stockwell Day ANOTHER _ ue | Fo & s ‘ k. _ | 2 ie | SCOTT | PIATKOWSKI |