At various public meetings in March to June 2008, and as confirmed by York Region Council on June 19th, 2008, York Region has committed to undertake a comprehensive study of a broad array of transportation alternatives to road widenings in Markham. This will largely involve using their existing Travel Demand Model, updating it to include known and planned changes such as VIVA routes and subway lines, and then simulating different scenarios. The amount of modeling is substantial and will likely take 6-12 months. Until this work is completed and reported back, all EA work on expanding 16th Avenue, McCowan, Kennedy, Leslie, and Bayview is on hold.

The Region also accepted our suggestion that an Advisory Committee, including members of the public, be set up. The charter and membership still need to be developed.

To inform the public, the Region has set up a new website at www.york.ca. Click on "Transit Supportive Roads-Transportation For Today And Tomorrow" under "News and Information". Or click Here.

As of mid-September, 2008, the Region was in the final stages of securing the consultants for the modeling work. The Advisory Committee will be set up soon.

February 21, 2008 was another successful day for "Preserve 16th". York Region Council voted unanimously to receive Markham's letters regarding transportation alternatives (see item 3), and refer them to the Comissioner of Transportation Services for a report. Numerous Ward Councillors and members of the public were prepared to speak, if required, in support of transportation alternatives. We were also prepared to present a 900 signature petition if required. See the newspaper article on this Council meeting in the Media Coverage section.

January 22, 2008 was a very successful day for our "Preserve 16th" group. Markham Town Council dealt with 2 Notices of Motion, requesting the Region to examine other alternatives to the widening of various Regional roads, including 16th Ave. Due to the mobilization efforts of many individuals, over 300 people packed Council chambers! About 20 deputations (5-10 minute speeches) were made by citizens, all but one opposing the widenings. Our petition, totaling 740 signatures at the time, was presented. About 8 council members spoke in support of the motions. Town Council voted unanimously to support the motions. The combination of packed council chambers, 20 deputations, a large petition, and a 13-0 council vote sends a very strong signal to York Region Council.

We have released 2 open letters concerning this project. The first identifies our concerns, and the second identifies positive alternatives. They can be viewed in the Public Letters section.

We are encouraging people to write their politicians. Contact names are provided in the Contact Your Politicians section.