OrilliaMatters received the following letter from Doug Lewis in response to last week’s story about the Chamber of Commerce relocating its office from the old train station to the mall at the intersection of West Street and Highway 12.
Congratulations to the Orillia District Chamber of Commerce on choosing the corner of West Street South and the Highway 12 bypass for the new site of their offices. It is an excellent location with high visibility and ample parking. As time passes, this corner will become more and more important and a focal point for Orillia.
West Street will become the most important southerly entrance to Orillia. For the most part, it is four lanes wide (more on that later) from the bypass north to Mississaga Street. Three stop-lights and you are there. Compare that to Memorial Road from the bypass to Mississaga which winds and puts the motorist through six stop-lights to get to the same corner, including the interesting one at the corner of Colborne and Memorial.
The recreation centre on West Street will start to attract more people to Orillia for sports events. Businesses on West Street will start to spruce up their properties. In time, we will be proud of this entrance to the downtown core.
It does depend upon city council rectifying the short-sightedness of previous councils in not widening West Street from James Street to the bypass during past renovations of West Street. That should be in the works immediately. (Please, no more three-lane follies)
The other factor is the bypass itself. Follow the development of east-west traffic corridors across Highway 400, north from Highway 7, to Highway 9, to Highway 88 and to Highway 89. You will realize that the next east-west corridor to be developed will funnel traffic from the area east of Lake Simcoe to Highway 12 and along the bypass to the intersection at Highway 11.
Lake Couchiching is long and narrow and it is unlikely that it will go through Washago as there really isn't much west of Washago.
The Ministry of Transportation of Ontario is in denial that widening of the Highway 12 bypass will ever be needed. They still can't believe that Casino Rama attracts the traffic it does. They don't drive the bypass at 4:30 on a weekday afternoon.
If the Highway 12 by-pass had been in Midland it would have been four lanes wide for the past 40 years. If it had been in Barrie it would have been six lanes wide for the past 40 years. When will the Ministry of Transportation realize that it should be widened now?
Anyway, the Chamber office will be located strategically at the corner of West Street and the bypass. Congratulations on an excellent decision.
Doug Lewis
