“It feels like I’m voting against science,” laughed Midland Mayor Bill Gordon as council pivoted from several staff recommendations for a safer community on Yonge Street.
In 2025, a reconstruction project for Yonge Street from King Street to Country Road 93 will address deteriorating underground infrastructure while updating surface-level amenities to modern transportation regulations and requirements.
Flexible safety bollards were a key point in mid-2024 council discussions, as the roughly $300,000 cost to segregate biking lanes from sidewalks and road traffic were disputed for their necessity. Staff noted that “flex bollards meets the minimum (Ontario Traffic Manual) Book 18 design requirements and is the option provided in the (Midland Modal Transportation master plan),” while also being the cheapest option to achieve.
During draft budget discussions, the anticipated $10.5 million cost for the Yonge Street project was presented as part of the engineering section for the 2025 capital program, with $2.6 million to be funded through rate supported reserves and $7.9 million from debt.
Coun. Bill Meridis asked engineering manager Mitch Sobil if the bollards had to be installed during laying of asphalt, or if they could be drilled in later.
The question sparked a back-and-forth between many on council as to whether the entire bollard aspect, and the underlying decision of repainting three lanes to four lanes along Yonge (which was left undecided), was even necessary. Meridis suggested that a wrong choice by council could lead to a similar situation as the controversy of costly parking kiosks removal.
To return to the original motion and its decision, solely on the bollards, council required a two-thirds majority.
As the town clerk crafted the motion, council pressed Sobil for the implications of removing bollards as an option. Sobil stressed that as a professional engineer, he had to recommend best practices dictated by the province.
Furthermore, staff cautioned council that by removing the safety barriers liability for even one accident as a result would put the town at great risk, that the cost to change design features in the $10.5 million project at the last minute was also a financial risk, and that council could only vote to change the motion once per term as per the procedure bylaw.
Gordon informed council that by going against staff recommendations and the various cautions raised, the recorded vote would be “a political decision”.
Coun. Catherine MacDonald and Sheldon East were the sole nays siding with staff and safety concerns, losing to the majority of yays from Gordon, Meridis, Deputy Mayor Beth Prost, and Coun. Jaz Patel, Eric Major, Jamie-Lee Ball, and Roberta Bald.
“There we go,” said Gordon, following the vote. “We’ll see if it gets revisited next year.”
Detailed information, timelines and reports on the 2025 budget can be found on the budget and finance page of the Town of Midland’s website.