A bypass to allow horse and buggy traffic to avoid a busy section of Elora Street North coming into Harriston has been approved by Minto council.
At the July 2 meeting, council approved the use of a portion of former rail bed to allow buggy traffic to get from Highway 9 to John Street, or vice versa, without passing the busy Tim Hortons at the north end of town.
Deputy mayor Terry Fisk proposed the idea to council at the suggestion of one of his Amish neighbours.
“They have problems [near Tim Hortons] with the horses balking with the tractor trailers on both sides of the road,” Fisk explained at the June 18 council meeting.
The original plan called for access to the rail bed off Highway 9 between the Harriston Industrial Park and the edge of Harriston.
However, in a report at the July 2 meeting, public works director Brian Hansen explained the rail lands cross Highway 9 at that point and using that access would require Ministry of Transportation approval.
Instead, council approved an alternate route that would see horse and buggy traffic use the existing Hutchison Street and travel into the industrial park crossing the rail line at the John Street and Adelaide Street curve.
“There is some concern with conflict with industrial traffic, but this route eliminates about a kilometre of highway travel from Hutchison to Arthur Street,” stated Hansen.
He also noted stop signs will need to be added at Adelaide and John because horse and buggy traffic will meet the streets at a “T” intersection.
Councillor Ron Faulkner expressed concerns about keeping motorized vehicles off the trail and potential liability issues.
“It’s not classified as a road. We’re not going to make it a road. It’s more of an access than anything,” noted CAO Bill White.
“It’s not really conducive to having cars go on it,” said Mayor George Bridge, who stated he’d like to see the bypass in use before planned construction at the north end of John Street begins sometime in August.
