Bancroft can't handle subdivision traffic, residents say

Minnow Lake Community Action Network (CAN) chair John Lindsay hoped to hear from residents at a May 29 meeting about where on Bancroft Drive a new road from a proposed nearby 700-unit development should exit.

By and large, the roughly 50 Minnow Lake residents gathered at the meeting told him there shouldn't be a route from the proposed subdivision onto Bancroft at all.

The proposed subdivision, a mix of apartment buildings, townhouses and single family dwellings, would be located behind the new big box store development off of The Kingsway.

Because the developer, Interpaving, will likely include exits from the subdivision onto both The Kingway and Bancroft in plans submitted to the city, Lindsay decided to ask the community's opinion about where a possible Bancroft exit should be.

Before the Minnow Lake CAN puts forward any opinion to the city, it needs to consult with residents first, he said.

In the case of a proposed Dalron subdivision, which was recently rejected by the city, residents vehemently opposed the development, Lindsay said.

Interpaving will likely hold a public meeting about the issue in June, and then go to the city's planning committee sometime in the future, he said.

“We've had discussions with the developer, and he's pretty amenable to anything that the public wants,” Lindsay said. “We're not exactly sure where they'd like the road to go. What we're looking at now is what the public feels about this.”

While the general opinion at the meeting seemed to be that residents “would not like to have any more access” onto Bancroft, many did give their opinions about what road should be connected to the development, if necessary.

The majority of residents felt the connection should be on Shappart Avenue, Lindsay said. The other proposed connections would be through Bellevue Avenue, Barry Street, McKinnon Street or Neelon Avenue.

He said he'd also share the residents' views with the area's city councillor, Terry Kett, who was unable to attend the meeting.

Minnow Lake resident Eugene Czaja was one of those opposed to any exit from the development onto Bancroft.

Both subdivision exits should empty onto The Kingsway, because “that's the only corridor that can handle a little bit more traffic,” he said.
Right now, trying to get out onto Bancroft during rush hour is a bit of a nightmare, Czaja said.

“It's actually terrible,” he said. “If you're trying to get out any time between 3:30 and 6 p.m. there's no way. Unless somebody's kind enough to stop and let you out, it's not going to happen.”

Dorothy Klein, who lives on Bancroft, opposite of Neelon, agreed that traffic is “bumper-to-bumper” in the area during rush hour.

“Bringing this additional traffic from a subdivision is totally unwise,” she said.

If the subdivision needs a second exit, it should come out onto The Kingsway, across the street from McDonald's, she said.

Mary Roy, however, said she'd like to see a connection between Bancroft and the subdivision at Shappart Avenue.

While some property would need to be expropriated on Shappart to expand the road, it wouldn't be as much in the rest of the proposed areas, she said. If a traffic light were added, it would deter so many vehicles from going down Bancroft, as people dislike waiting at traffic lights, Roy said.

Roy said she thinks having a connection between Minnow Lake and the proposed subdivision is a good idea because it would likely increase property values in the area.

“That's important for me, as a retiree,” she said. “When I'm gone, my house is more valuable for my children.”

She also pointed out that a new road would mean Minnow Lake residents would be able to safely walk to the big box stores and the movie theatre.

Posted by Arron Pickard