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A6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday July 26.2000 OPINION Letter of the Week Catholic high school becoming a fiasco During the past year, when construction should have been taking place on the new Catholic high school, negotiations were taking place regarding the price and the condition of the soil. Recently, this issue was brought back into the news because the Halton Catholic school board changed their minds and decided to purchase the Sixth Line site. As parents and, more importantly, as taxpayers, we don't care who is to blame for the delay. Our parent community wanted this site in the first place, but are we celebrating a victory? No, we were looking forward to the new school and are fed up with the delay and want both sides to stop fighting and start working together to find a solution. How much longer do we have to wait for the new school and how much more is it going to cost taxpayers? I shudder to think about how much this has already cost in increased construction rates and wasted hours at both the Board and the Town. On Aug. 8th, the site plan committee will decide whether or not to grant site plan approval for the high school site. The purpose of site plan approval according to an undated Town of Oakville document titled Site Plan Approval in the Town of Oakville is to “permit the Town the opportunity to review and evaluate overall site design including parking lot layout, driveway locations, grading, landscaping, lighting and garbage facilities.” “Site plan approval does not control land use; it does not control height'or density of development; it does not regulate architectural details such as colour, texture and type of materials, window detail or construction details. Most importantly, Site Plan Control cannot prohibit the use of land or building for a use that conforms with the Town’s zoning by-laws.” Does the site plan that the Board submitted comply with prevailing zoning? I have been told by the Board, that it does. I guess we’ll find out on Aug. 8th at the planning committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Town Hall. If you would like more information about this issue, a resident’s meeting has been scheduled for Aug. 1st at St. Andrew’s school (145 Millbank Drive) from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Heather Belsito New High School Committee Our Lady of Peace School Council George's Square tea party a hit The executive committee of the George’s Square Society wish to thank all who helped to make the first Annual Victorian Strawberry Tea Party such a success. Our beautiful downtown park has never looked as verdant. It’s resplendent flower beds and lush foliage providing a splendid backdrop to the period-costumed ladies and gentlemen enjoying high tea there recently. Divertimento, the string quartet, entertained guests from the newly-erected heritage Victorian pavilion, a delightful enhancement to the Square. We heartily commend Oakville’s Heritage Committee and Parks & Recreation for their development of the new Heritage Walk, which includes George’s Square on its historic itinerary, and invite both residents and visitors to share the pleasure. We take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors and supporters in the neighbourhood, in particular, our local merchants. Executive Committee George’s Sauare Societv Life in the fast lane Letters to the Editor The Oakville Beaver Ian Oliver Publisher Neil Oliver Associate Publisher Norman Alexander Editor Kelly Montague, Advertising Director Steve Crazier Circulation Director Ten Casas Office Manager Mark Dills Production Manager Riziero Vertolli Director of Photography Metrdand Pnnerg. Putting & Dettxcng U&. inoudes: ^WRO^errg Nows Advertiser. Aftston Hfratd/Ccu*r. Anrtr Enterprise News. Same Ad*anoe. BanyS Bay TTts Woek. Bcttcn En&prco. Brampion Guardan, Burlington Post. Burtngton Stopping News. City Parent. Comg*cod\Y3saoa Ccmocwn, Ex3 Mark Mror. Em A<Xoca»Coutiy Routes. Etobicoke Guardian. Ftamcofough Post. Georgetown *-docendont'<scion Free Press. Kamaon Rbmcw. Hucro Busn&s Trnos. Kingston This Week. Lindsay This Week. Markham Ecnomist & Sut. MxJantVPenetangUshine Mrror. M*flon Canadun Champion. Mfcon Sfcppng No*s. Mssesaurp Buanoss Tmes. Mcscsauga Nws, Napaneo Qudo. Nevwujrvax'Autra Era-Banner. Ncmxrtxrtsnd N**s. North 'rtr* Mror. OektAe Baiw. CShopprg Noas. Odtmys rtxkey News. Cr*3 Tocoy. Ctf\»^V**yCfairgKn Port Peny The Woe*. Oxn Sand Tntxno. Palmorsion Cccor.tr. Petertorousn TTk Woek. Rctcn Gxnty Guide. Richmond Hd/Thomra/Vaughan liberal. Scartxxough Mirror. S»xA«EAb£ridgo Trtxre. FcreurVtxng. Ory ct Vfcrk Guardan 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont L6K3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax; 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-2809 Circulation: 845-9742 Editorials RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Now spacers Association Canadian Community f*CNA rtowwpors Association Suburban Newspaper; â- 91^ m of America Just when you thought it might be safe to travel Ontario’s ‘400’ highways and the QEW, comes dramatic evidence from the Ontario Provincial Police that danger lurks behind the wheel of every vehicle. The latest OPP blitz on traffic law offenders, dubbed Focus 2000 (not to be confused by the Ford of the same name), resulted in 1,200 charges being laid. And this was only in one week! It should come as a surprise to no one, that travelling these major arteries is an invitation to gamble, with the stakes being your life. There is simply no way to put a good spin on the kind of behaviour witnessed by OPP officers during the driver crackdown. What can you say about people who routinely decide to use the shoulder of the road as another lane to try and gain a few valuable car spaces? What can you say about a truck driver who used some interesting aggressive driving techniques to inch up a few extra feet of asphalt? In this case, the action was to pull up beside cars to force them off the road and then flash his lights at others in front of him “because they were going too slowly”. But if there is any light at the end of the traffic chaos tunnel in this area, it’s that the long-anticipated Hwy. 407 extension through Halton is progressing well. Perhaps it will siphon off enough traffic at its western periphery to ease the crunch on the QEW. Whether or not truckers will ante up the cash to cut off a few kilometres from their drive, is another question. In the meantime. Stick to the slow lane and be vigilant of that lunatic come up from behind and alongside you. Defensive driving just might save your life. What can you say about people who routinely decide to use the shoulder of the road as another lane to try and gain a few valuable car spaces? The Oakville Beaver welcomes your comments. All letters must be typed, signed and include the writer’s address and phone number. Send to: Letters to the Editor, The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, Ont L6K 3S4 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR; Y YMCA LCOME AGON m 1.10 * ^SutVi\ ^Strategies for % _ ..fc- JiNqU BtU Fursd TV AUCTION BBS TH E BRONTE BUTTERFLY ONTARIO Of Joaiviiu 101 (9nkville (sAivatBs OTBCtSlNESS'EXCEIIERg | oakville galleries | //v/fj ttbftrfaiUt New Royal Windsor Drive-QEW ramp a disaster A 28-year-old truck driver died on July 17th when the tanker he was driving flipped on its side at the new Royal Windsor Drive ramp to the QEW. bound Hwy. 403 into Hamilton. tion where the previous access That seems to be another situa- westbound presented no hazard Family opts not to use ramp I read with interest your frontpage headline in the July 19th paper regarding the fatal truck accident on July 17th on the new westbound ramp from Royal Windsor Drive to the QEW westbound. It always amazes me that new highways, ramps, etc. often seem to contain obvious design flaws. By this, I mean that as soon as I saw the design of this new ramp I thought to myself “here we go again," (i.e. here’s another hazard newly created by the highway engineers.) In this situation, the previous westbound access to the QEW was across the old bridge and along a long access road that joined the highway some distance east of the QEW/Trafalgar Road intersection. This did not present any hazard to drivers, nor did it cause any serious clogging of traffic in this area. However, the new bridge now leads to this new ramp that forms a tight circle before it enters the highway creating a new hazard because of its tight radius which is exacerbated by a new roadside ditch which lacks any kind of safety barrier. Then, to cap it all, it joins the highway on the east side of the new bridge (which is where the horrendous traffic tie-ups occur on the westbound QEW) often backing up traffic all the way from the Ford Drive cutoff further east. What was wrong with the old road that this ramp has replaced? Do the highway planners not have any sense at all? If we drivers can see these problems, shouldn’t the so-called experts be able to avoid them? Another similar tight ramp just asking for similar accidents to occur is on the northbound QEW in Burlington leading to the west- I am wrtUng to you concerning the new on ramp to the QEW from Royal Windsor Drive. I am very sorry to read that a truck driver has already died on that very tight curve. I do not know who designed that ramp but it is a disaster waiting to happen. My husband, my two sons and myself have driven on the new On July 13th and 14th, my daughter Heather and I were in Oakville to search for accommodations for her when she attends Sheridan College this September. We were very much impressed by your beautiful town and were treated well by everyone with whom we came in contact. In particular, we were the fortunate recipients of RASK (Random Acts of Senseless Kindness). When I was ready to pay the bill for a dinner we ate at one of your restaurants, the wait- ramp and all four of us have decided not to use it again. We will continue to use the Trafalgar Road or Dorval Drive entrances to the QEW west. I feel sorry for all the Ford workers and truck drivers who have to use this ramp, especially during the winter. ress informed us that it had already been paid and gave us a paper napkin with the acronym RASK written on it. I’m assuming that the kind gentleman who sat beside us, did this generous deed and I wish to publicly thank him for his generosity. Please be assured that I plan to pass on the same gesture to someone else. What a great idea! We look forward to many return visits to Oakville. Heidi Gagnier Amherstburg, Ont. but the new ramp certainly does. There are so many of these instances that drivers face every day, but usually nothing is done to elevate these dangers or improve many bad highway conditions. For instance, the split of the eastbound QEW into the Ford Drive/403 exit by the Ford plant is too far west. This causes tremendous slowdowns and clogging of traffic west of this area through Oakville because of lane changers anticipating the need to prepare to leave the QEW long before they normally would due to this exit being too close to the bend in the highway near the new Royal Windsor Drive bridge. It would seem obvious that if the exit to the Ford Drive/403 was further east, then drivers would have a far better earlier view of such an exit and would be able to manoeuvre more easily and safely (and there’s plenty of room to do this east of the aforementioned bridge). However, nothing is done and I’ve counted many near accidents as drivers change lanes too late for this exit. Similarly, traffic on the east-bound QEW is now backed up from Guelph Line in Burlington all the way to Trafalgar Road in Oakville very often all day long. This intolerable situation is not helped by the location of a truck inspection station located just east of the Third Line Road intersection. Traffic is far too heavy to have this there and again there are many near misses due to trucks trying to change lanes in heavy traffic at the same time that traffic is trying to enter the highway from Third Line ramp onto the highway. A ridiculous state of affairs. Just a few thoughts from a frequent user of the nightmare we call the QEW A.I. Meadows Margaret Abrahams Visit to town remembered for RASK by Steve Nease