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Home My WebLink AboutLakeshore Advance, 2012-11-07, Page 110 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesday, November 23, 2011 '1'12 1Nti1.1)RN1 1 t )1 R 1.112F tit rth ill, \ ('h,dicw:;, a natural, effective, presented by sustainable Bonet pathy of Weight loss : A London & Janet 'VBnlnswickRNCP Body T1•ansfo tion w•,.. , . RhA, RL'N let ( Clinton t:hiropractic RSVP to & Wellness (;entre I -888.211-4811 or Info@ inspiredhealth.ca Spurn) • 160 Hurun Street ay Nov. 29th (t 7:30 PM. • Chamber releases parking study Cheryl Heath Lakeshore Advance The Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce wants to solve a problem that is said to date back to a time when automobiles replaced the horse and buggy. And thanks to a chamber study, Parking & Congestion in Grand Bend 2011, the dialogue on the topic, long the bane of existence for business owners along highway 21, is now open for discussion. The newly minted study, released at the chamber's annual general meeting Thursday night, and again at the Municipality of Lambton Shores' Nov. 21 council session, arrives at the 0?.yV lir•errrr..e kW/ft rr*She% rrtr 1 WWI /Or .,uttrrlrtl. c%'%111.1L,.1\‘1,11r.11 .l):1 NOTHING COMPRIt=f TO CUB CANT •INM I-STAOG ANO TWO -$TAA SNOW THROWING. Cuts Cadi,I .nowtivoibwrsw.packedw1thoreeve uwwwtwnsisJeep asi14two rest snowfall Lusa tar u•Till nrt•.i-tifaar' power steering that puts control rigid et your anger hos The hlph impact. clap teallyant payrno( chk,te raysts rust ss n throws the heaviest snow and kt t:rperlertce a Cub Cadet today to understand why it's a better thorn YAM .M,ta4M.0 to Md mot dews Moir ant soloOmble Ss wy IM...Me (Y; EQUIPMENT 38 Main St., Zurich On G EQUIPMENT Tel: 519-m64934 Fax: 519.2:I6.733o Email: cgfannaThay.net heels of three meetings that drew participation from village residents, business owners and politicians. The end result, says study author (filen Baillie, is a com- prehensive document that shows there are alternatives to the age-old problem. A few surprises also came to light care of the study, says Baillie, given nutny area busi- ness owners and residents were not aware that overnight parking is available for a $20 permit fee. "It's a big secret. No one knew that," notes Baillie. Other surprising news is there are a number of free parking spots, some of which often sit empty even on the busiest of days, behind the Royal Canadian Legion, and on Gill St. in Grand Bend, In all, the chamber's five- page report spells out that while the problems associated with traffic congestion long lineups preventing customers from entering businesses along Highway 21 and grumpy tour- ists who've had to wait 40 minutes to enter the village only to find no parking is avail- able - are well known, there are ways to remedy them. "It seems to lite that people just accept the fact that people sit In traffic. That drives me crazy ... this isn't crowded," says Baillie. "It seems busy here because it's an inefficient busy." Baillie, who moved to (;rand Bend from Ailsa Craig eight years ago, says it is time to address traffic congestion issues rather than just accept- ing them as a way of life. "1 think it needs to be man- aged somewhat more aggres- sively," he says. "We want the town to be pleasant, orderly and full." One major hurdle, he says, is to get the MT() on board to change the current configura- tion of the lanes on I lighway 21, since the current turn lane is often empty in both directions. Among the recommenda- tions in the chamber's report is a request to eliminate the "dan- gerous" walkways on the 1ligh- way 21 bridge in favour of an additional laneway. Pedestrian walkways could then be con- structed alongside the bridge, which Baillie notes is about to reach its 50 -year lifespan so it is the perfect time to lobby the M'1'O for changes. "If it costs money, who cares?" says Baillie, who says constructing covered walkways would keep pedestrians safe while creating something that could prove to be a tourism draw. Another one of the issues often cited by the study's par - ii "(Parking revenues are) a good proxy for how a summer has been, says Baillie, who says there is a general consen- sus that 300 more parking spaces are needed for (;rand Bend and, ideally, that number will grow over time. Among the study's otht recommendations are utilizink electronic signs to post infor- mation on lot conditions, ere It seems to me that people just accept the fact that people sit in traffic. That drives me crazy ... this isn't crowded...it seems busy here because it's an inefficient busy. study author (;ler 11(111111' ticipants is problems associ- ated with the parking meters sine' they do not accept elec- tronic payment and the mini- mum amount of time and change required for thein is 11o1 widely advertised. Among the recommendations in addition to creating more user-friendly meters is adding QR codes so that Smartphone users can access anti share information related to parking in Grand Bend. Baillie says another idea is to charge more for parking based on how close the spot is to the beach. Overall, says Baillie, the chamber's hope is that the Municipality of Lambton Shores will take the bull by the horns and begin to address the if ate angle parking on the north side of 81 (:resuent anti the north side of River Road past the yacht club, and to develop overflow lots wily partnerships between property owners and the municipality similar to what cities do during special events that draw more than the usual number of motorists to a given area. John Byrne, Chief Atintinis Irator Officer for Lambton Shores, reports there has been "some dialogue with the business community" on the parking issue in Grand Bend though there is no formal plan in place at this point. According to Lambton 1) Shores' data, Grand Bend's parking revenues for its 781 spaces stand at about $500,000 (Parking revenues are) a good proxy for hov) a summer has been parking congestion prohlent. One step in the right direction, suggests the report, is to appoint a full-time parking chief to ensure the Tots are properly operated and the revenues stay strong. — study author (;len Baillie per year. Those funds are used to pay for the costs of bylaw enforcement, property acquired for parking, lot main- tenance as well as the cost of providing lifeguards and some services at the beach. LET'S MAKE CANCER HISTORY For information about cancer, services or to make a donation 1'888'939'3333 • www.cancereca Canadian Cancer Society Sociftf canadienne du cancer