2 Friday, December 15, 2017brooklintowncrier.com Top Story of 2017 Less than Half the Picture By Richard Bercuson Last February 1, the free ride ended. All trips on the Ontario-owned portion of the new highway 407, from Brock Road in Pickering to Harmony in Oshawa, as well as the 412 connector to/from the 401, became paid trips. Just as quickly, commuters clogged every arterial road in the region. Coffee klatch and beer cooler conversations now focused on alternative north-south options to reach the 401. Generally, Lakeridge seemed to be the winner. It wasn't because we're cheap. People seemed to prefer to spend the extra time in traffic on Winchester or Taunton than pay the province for exorbitant tolls, among the three highest (per kilometre) in North America, as we reported in 2016. The other problem of course was that the 412 remains the GTA's only toll connector to the 401. This raised the shackles of Brooklin (and Durham) residents. Why were we be- ing subjected to tolls at all, let alone leaving every other community west of us without them? We published two stories on the topic. In January, we printed a piece about local resident Adrian Piccolo who'd amassed nearly 6,000 signatures on an online petition he sent to Minister of Transportation Steven Del Luca. Nothing came of it. The signees might have had more impact had they appeared at his office. In August, we ran a feature about 412's usage once the freebie end- ed. Unfortunately, knowing the average workday number of vehicles on those roads in June was 41,800 meant little without context. The impact is magnified in Brooklin which has become the conduit for free arterial road access to other northern points of Whitby, Oshawa and even Courtice. With the current booming growth in development, transportation in and through this community is worsening almost daily. We also published information about the master transportation plans for Whitby, Brooklin, and Durham, including how they pertain to public transportation. In other words, what is the likelihood of busing alleviating current traffic woes? In the near future, not much. When will we see the promised arterial south of and parallel to the 407 which is aimed at bypassing Winchester Road's daily parking lot? Indeed, the top story was the ongoing transportation issue. It affects Brooklin and its residents in so many ways well beyond commuting to and from work. It's caused traffic and noise and accentuated safety problems as drivers seek shortcuts which really don't exist. But for now, let's set it all aside. My best regards to you, dear readers, for a happy and restful Christmas and New Year. See you on January 5, 2018. "Proud to be a Brooklinite" Founded in 2000 and published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 • editorofbtc@gmail.com The Brooklin Town Crier is locally owned and operated and is a publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: 905.655.7642 Email: yeswomanbrooklin@gmail.com Next Issue: Friday, January 5, 2018 Deadline: Friday, December 29, 2017 Hockey Coaching Manual Available BTC Editor Richard Bercuson's manual for minor hockey coaches, "Inside Coaching Hockey" is now available for $20. The manual covers topics like how children learn and skills are acquired, drill design, planning, being creative, teaching small area tactics, and more. There are testimonials from Hockey Hall of Fame journalist Roy MacGregor and Hockey Canada coaching program instructors. MacGregor wrote, "This is the way all our kids should be coached...wise about every facet of the game - and fun…" Bercuson has spent decades coaching and teaching in Canada, the U.S., and France, from the youngest house league levels to the provincial and national programs. He is an OHF/OMHA coaching program instructor and field evaluator and lead mentor for Oshawa minor hockey where he created a unique development program. To obtain the book, email: rbercuson@gmail.com