There are eight urban laneways in Bradford – narrow lanes that run behind houses, connecting roads in the older portion of the town.
Some are gravel. Others are little more than grassy pathways, that end abruptly.
Earlier this year, Community Services looked at reclassifying, stopping up and closing certain segments of the lanes, taking measures to reduce the speed limit from 40 kmph to 20 kmph, and turning some into one-way roads.
But first, the municipality sent out notices to 130 property owners whose properties touch on the lanes, and invited them to an information session.
Based on the comments received, a final report came to Committee of the Whole on Tuesday night, proposing the following changes:
. Lotto Lane, which runs from Essa Street to Toronto Street, will be closed as a Public Highway. Property owners will still be able to access the lane, but the sign proclaiming ‘Lotto Lane’ will be removed, and a “Local Traffic Only” sign will be installed. A barrier will be put in place at Toronto St., and three parcels – not part of the active lane – will be surveyed, split and conveyed to adjacent landowners.
. Bales Lane. The section from Essa Street to Toronto Street will be closed as a Highway, but remain open for local use only. The 'Bales Lane' sign will be removed. The portion of the lane west of Toronto Street will be closed entirely, split and conveyed to adjacent property owners.
. Elizabeth Street north of Thomas Street will lose its Public Highway status, the street sign will be removed, and the road will become part of the existing parking lot. Elizabeth Street south of Thomas will remain open as a Highway, but will be signed as “Local Traffic Only.” The portion at the extreme south end of Elizabeth Street will be closed, surveyed, split and conveyed to adjacent owners.
. Gapp Lane, which runs from Drury Street through a private parking lot to Holland Court, will lose its Highway status, but remain open as an access to the lot, and from there, to Holland Court. The sign designating “Gapp Lane” will be removed.
Coun. Gary Lamb was concerned about the removal of the name. “Ted Gapp was the fire chief (of Bradford) before Ted Bulpit,” he said, and played a key role in building Bradford's volunteer fire department. Lamb noted that several of the lanes, including Gapp, Bales and Lotto Lanes, were named in the 1980s, and urged staff to find a way to preserve the names "so we'd at least have some association in the historical record.”
"Staff will figure that out," said Deputy Mayor James Leduc. “They are important names in our past history. I’m sure we can find a way to work them back into our road network."
Town clerk Rebecca Murphy assured Council that although the sign was being removed and highway status closed, the route will remain open and there will be no change in traffic patterns. Drivers will still be able to access Holland Court, the condominium building and the BWG Family Health Centre from Simcoe Road, and use the route as a potential detour in case of road closures on Holland.
"It's not going to change anything in the eyes of the public,” she said, noting that the status could change again in the future, with the development of adjacent properties.
. Doctor’s Lane, from Nelson to Barrie St., will remain open as a public highway, although it will be signed “Local Traffic Only.” The section east of Nelson, which was never open, will be surveyed, split and conveyed to adjacent property owners.
. McDonald Lane remains open as a public highway, from Church Street to Moore Street. Initially, staff had proposed making the route one-way, but residents objected. Councillors introduced an amendment to leave the Lane as a 2-way access, “for now.”
Coun. Mark Contois noted that there has been encroachment on the Town Right-of-Way by some adjacent property owners, and asked the town to make it clear that “sooner or later” those encroachments would be cleared.
“Ultimately that is a town road, and it is going to remain that way, and encroachments have to go,” Contois said. “In the next five years, we’re going to be looking at boundaries – but that’s just my opinion.”
. Spence Lane, which runs from Toronto Street to Church Street, will remain open as a public highway, but will become one-way, eastbound, for Local Traffic Only. A small section west of Toronto will be closed, split and conveyed to adjacent property owners.
. Allan Lane, the L-shaped laneway that runs south from John St. East, and then turns toward Barrie St., will remain open and unchanged – one-way southbound, south of the John St. East parking lot.
The speed limit on all lanes will be reduced to 20 kmph.
In the virtual council meeting on Tuesday night, councillors recommended approval of the changes. The recommendation will come back to council for final approval on May 5.
“The changes proposed… will result in operational efficiencies and reduced liability to the town,” the staff report noted.
