Residents in Greensville, Ont., are urging the municipal leadership in Hamilton to rein in traffic chaos, as thousands of visitors who come to see the fall colours in Spencer Gorge are causing congestion in the rural village.
This weekend, Greensville community members are holding two call-to-action demonstrations near Tews Falls to bring attention to unregulated parking and blocked traffic in the area.
Local resident Jeff Laskey said Hamilton police were on hand the previous weekend to help deal with the flow of traffic.
“The fall in particular is a busy time,” said Laskey. “With this beauty of our waterfalls, this amazing community that we live in, people want to come. And we don’t want to turn them away but we need to find a means to bring them in so as not to affect the limitations of our infrastructure.”
Laskey said the goal of the demonstrations — which are purposely taking place the weekend before municipal elections — is to draw attention to the chaotic situation in Greensville and urge leaders at city hall to resolve the village’s traffic issues.
“This is an issue that’s gone on for a long time. I just think we need a plan,” he said.
Laskey said residents have been trying to get the city to take action on Greensville’s increased traffic flow for some time.
Starting in 2017, the Hamilton Conservation Authority began offering a shuttle service to Tews and Webster’s falls from a parking lot at Christie Lake.
The shuttle operates on weekends and holidays from May until the end of October, but Laskey said this service alone isn’t enough to combat Greensville’s traffic congestion problem.
“Why would somebody want to spend $10 to take the shuttle if there’s hundreds and hundreds of parking spots that are unregulated in Greensville?” he said.
Another problem local residents face is the lack of restrooms and garbage receptacles around the popular waterfall destination, which Laskey said has resulted in some visitors littering or urinating on residents’ properties.
Two demonstrations are scheduled this weekend. One will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday and continue through the weekend, taking place at the bottom of Tews Lane across from the entrance to Tews Falls.
Another demonstration will also take place on from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday at the intersection of Brock Road, Old Brock Road and Harvest Road.
Residents with a variety of perspectives on the issue will be handing out pamphlets and information to visitors to educate them and encourage visitors to keep Greensville green.
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