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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, F eb ru ar y 20 ,2 02 0 | 4 lumbia Street. Vista Hills residents use St. Moritz to avoid driving all the way down Columbia to get to Erbsville Road, which provides arterial ac- cess to Erb Street and Ira Needles Boulevard to the south. Motorists also use St. Moritz as a way to gain ac- cess to the parking lot at the Canadian Tire plaza at Erb and Ira Needles, so they can more quickly ac- cess The Boardwalk and other nearby amenities. "Platinum Drive is a game-changer that is a sig- nificant improvement in access for Vista Hills resi- dents and is welcomed from a Clair Hills perspec- tive in order to prevent Vis- ta Hill-ers from diverting through their neighbour- hood (along St. Moritz)," according to Ward 2 Coun. Royce Bodaly. But members of Edna Staebler Public School's safe school travel commit- tee say the collector road is just part of a multipronged solution to a much bigger issue. An online petition that's garnered 345 signatures is asking the city to imple- ment numerous safety mea- sures, including trail clear- ing, stop signs, additional parking restrictions and by- law enforcement, and a crosswalk or three-way stop near the child care centre at St. Moritz and Montpellier Drive - a location where committee members say they've witnessed numer- ous close calls. "We're basically trying to get out ahead of some- thing serious," said Brian Bernard. "You can see some of the comments on there - people are pretty passionate about this issue," he said. "It's been going on for a while." The city has installed speed bumps and placed a temporary radar sign at the side of the street, Ber- nard said. While discussion at the regional level about the po- tential of implementing photo radar outside local schools is gaining steam, a family survey recently cir- culated in Clair Hills re- ceived 42% feedback and cited various reasons for increased traffic during drop-off and pickup times, including that the "journey elicits fear." Some people almost got hit by cars during a recent walkabout, while some drivers were arguing with police, according to com- mittee member Brent Schmidt. "It was quite a revealing experience for all," he said. Overall, Schmidt thinks the collector road will have a positive impact. "I think it's bound to," he said. "We're hoping that will reroute some of those people, especially in the morning." But as some residents pointed out, the new road will take drivers past the Costco and require them to go through two round- abouts and traffic lights on Erb Street West before get- ting back on to Ira Needles. Snarled traffic conges- tion caused by weekend shoppers comes mainly from the south and east. Another road is expec- ted to be built to facilitate the final phase of The Boardwalk, with planned connections on Erb Street West and Ira Needles, but with 112 acres of undevel- oped employment lands bounded by the Costco, Wilmot Line and Columbia Street waiting to be ser- viced, the number of vehi- cles in the area is only ex- pected to increase. Build out of the employ- ment lands is contingent up- on the Platinum Drive ex- tension, which is part of a planning application com- ing before city council on Monday, Feb. 24, that will re- zone property previously used for a golf academy. The new road is expec- ted to align with Ladyslip- per Drive in Vista Hills, as well as the construction of the permanent stormwater management pond. While the majority of the lands will be designated for light industry, there's a specific provision area for conve- nience commercial uses on the south side of Columbia Street West. According to a city plan- ner, additional lots in Vista Hills can be registered for final approval once the col- lector road is in place. Randy Dhaliwal realiz- es the new road must be built to service new em- ployment lands. "They still need a better traffic plan," he said. With on-street parking and poor visibility due to slopes and curves, St. Mo- ritz was never designed to handle so much activity, he feels. "They always do some- thing and then a few years later regret it," said Dhali- wal, adding that traffic has gotten out of hand since his home was built back in 2014. Environmental policy restricts future develop- ment to the west in the Township of Wilmot and muddies the possibility of ever having vehicular ac- cess to Wilmot Line, which Schott says would make more sense as a direct link. Columbia Street West, which is expected to access the main entrance to the employment lands, can't really be widened, she not- ed. "The jobs will probably be good for our homes' val- ues," said Schott. "The main concern for our area is traffic." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With only one road providing access to the growing Vista Hills subdivision in west Water- loo, traffic and safety con- cerns have increased in other residential areas nearby. A new collector road providing secondary access through employ- ment lands is expected to provide some relief, but might not be a complete solution. NEWS Continued from page 1 ONLINE PETITION CALLING FOR SAFETY MEASURES HAS 345 SIGNATURES Waterloo's west side employment lands include the construction of a new collector road - the extension of Platinum Drive by the Costco - that would connect Erb Street West with Columbia Street West. Bill Jackson/Torstar "We're basically trying to get out ahead of something serious." --Brian Bernard, resident