Transportation to and from and around Woolwich a top concern: mayor Shantz

Transportation is a really big issue in Woolwich.

"Probably the most talked about thing is transportation," Mayor Sandy Shantz said.

Shantz, who was acclaimed in last week's municipal election, says there are a few transportation issues residents in Woolwich face.

"Speed has been an issue," she said, noting drivers often don't slow down, blowing through towns and villages.

It's also a problem on the rural roads, where the township and Region of Waterloo have implemented stoplights in some spots — like at Ebycrest Road and Sawmill Road — or even roundabouts.

There's also the issue of congestion between Elmira and Waterloo on Highway 85. It's a growing concern for many who live in Woolwich, but travel into the city for work.

Shantz said the region plans to look at the problem in 2019 to see if there's a simple, quick fix to alleviate some of the congestion for the short term. The plan is to do a broader study if the interim fix isn't enough.

By bus and train

For residents who can't or don't want to drive, transit is another big issue, Shantz said.

In September, Kiwanis Transit launched a free bus service in Elmira for anyone to use. Shantz said council will review how that pilot project is doing later in 2019 and decide what needs to be done moving forward.

In Breslau, the township is working with the province to build a new GO train station.

Shantz said they have thought about bringing the LRT out to Woolwich and Breslau a number of times.

"There would be some benefits to that," she said, but because the townships are not currently paying for the LRT, adding the service would also add a cost.

"It's certainly something we can continue to talk about. I think from a regional perspective, the priority will be to look toward Cambridge," she said.

'Range of needs' for housing

Like other township mayors, Shantz is hearing from residents about how it's getting to be too expensive to live in the township.

She wants to see more affordable housing, saying council has looked at opportunities to purchase land — in order to control what goes on it — but that hasn't panned out yet.

One group is building low-cost apartments in Breslau and more apartment buildings are coming to the township, so that should help, she said.

"What I also hear from people is, 'We want to downsize. We want a place to live.' So there's a whole range of needs," she said.

Not immune to opioid crisis

As mayor, Shantz is also a regional councillor. She says the region has done a good job of addressing issues brought up by the townships and she says many of the issues being seen in the cities are felt in the rural areas.

The opioid crisis is an example of that, she says.

"We think we're immune to some of those things and we're really not. We have drug issues here," she said.

It may not show up in the same way it does in Kitchener and Cambridge, with tent cities and needles on the ground, but she says the problem is still there and she knows that, as a region, they need to work together to address its root causes.