Today's letters: Fix the hazard of vanishing traffic-lane markings
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Disappearing lines are dangerous
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Thank you to Coun. Tim Tierney for explaining why highways have become so dangerous, especially in the rain after dark on a busy, multi-lane highway such as the Queensway. The paints that have been substituted by federal fiat for those used formerly are not fit for purpose since the lines disappear rapidly.
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Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) contribute to destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects life on our planet, and must be managed. Canada played a lead role in securing international agreement, the Montreal Protocol, on action to protect the ozone layer. VOCs are also a hazard in the human environment. What is most important to the welfare of citizens is their control inside residences, offices and other buildings, where concentrations are higher and people are exposed for longer. That is managed without creating other hazards.
Article content
The simple-minded federal approach to highway paints has failed to take account of the resulting hazards to citizens. It also fails to deal with the relative importance of emissions from highway paint and from the combustion of gasoline and especially diesel fuel, that dominate the emission of VOCs from the use of roads. Until we all switch to EVs, sound environmental practice requires analysis of the the whole system, not just one side of the coin. The federal government has created a hazard to the health and welfare of citizens. It should re-evaluate.
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A big thank you to Coun. Tim Tierney for his enlightening piece on the short life of traffic lane markings. Like other drivers, I have long wondered about this fast-fading phenomenon and have dreaded driving at night, when the lines are entirely invisible.
Article content
Coun. Tim Tierney has done something surprising and praiseworthy. All politicians are front and centre when the cameras gather at festivals, at community centre openings, at special cause celebrations. I rarely see them posing when new sewers are finished, or potholes filled, or weed-choked playing fields finally cleared.
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But those are the things we actually hire local politicians to take care of. It's the basic infrastructure of the city, the things we need and rely on daily that matter most.
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CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Councillor pushes Ottawa ring road instead of 6th bridge
A city councillor says Ottawa needs a southern ring road to relieve congestion on the Queensway — instead of a controversial bridge over Kettle Island. Beacon Hill-Cyrville Coun. Tim Tierney floated the idea at Thursday's public works and infrastructure committee meeting as councillors debated updates to the transportation master plan, a guiding document setting out infrastructure priorities for the coming decades. Tierney noted that Highway 417 is currently the only major east-west route for interprovincial and regional traffic, including trucks, which should be rerouted south of the urban core. He made a motion, which passed by a vote of 9-2, urging all levels of government to pursue a "full and fair evaluation" of a southern ring road. The motion will now go to council for a final vote. Tierney said it sends a clear message. "We're saying this is really important to us," he said. "If the province is looking for some guidance for where they would like to provide some money to the city ... we've just indicated, it's this — it's not an interprovincial bridge." Feds promised 6th bridge The federal government pledged in January to build a sixth bridge spanning the Ottawa River over Kettle Island. That plan would direct truck traffic onto the Aviation Parkway, which runs through Tierney's ward. "Three billion dollars for an interprovincial bridge, we have no interest in that," Tierney said. "We have a bigger issue where all of our traffic is going through downtown and we see highway closures that really affect people's lives right now. He said the time is right to push for the ring road, which the provincial government committed to exploring in a 2022 transportation plan for eastern Ontario. "We have to start looking at this as an option," Tierney said. "I've spoken to the minister provincially, as well as our mayor, and I think we have an opportunity here to at least get this on the vision board about what we want to do in the future." Orléans West-Innes Coun. Laura Dudas supported Tierney's motion. She said another bridge won't solve Ottawa's traffic woes, since it would still dump trucks onto the 417 or the 174. "I fully support the idea of looking at this. It would cost, probably, a lot, and I don't think it would be a burden that our municipal taxpayers would have to bear. It would have to be a provincial or federal burden," she said. "But I do think it's a viable option to consider." But Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster questioned the idea. She worried that either option — a bridge or a ring road — would simply sink money into promoting auto use instead of transit. "I just think the goal should be getting people out of cars," she said. Stittsville Coun. Glen Gower warned that Tierney's motion could send a confusing message to higher levels of government and distract from the city's other funding requests, especially for transit. "I just feel like this ring road has come out of nowhere today," he said. Committee tweaks list of projects favoured for funding Despite the vote, the motion won't add the ring road to the city's transportation master plan, which the committee voted for on Thursday. The plan lays out $4.5 billion in transit infrastructure and $2.8 billion for roads that the city needs to keep up with population and employment growth to 2046. But city staff admit that number isn't affordable, so the plan includes a list of priority projects that are more likely to get built. That includes $2.3 billion in transit projects and $1.6 billion for roads, including widening and new links to growing communities. The expansion of the light rail system to Barrhaven and Kanata is also in the plan, with an estimated price tag of $8.3 billion, though the city is counting on upper levels of government to pay for it. The top-priority projects on the list include transitways on Baseline Road and through southern Orléans. Major road expansions in Orléans and Stittsville are also on the priority list, as well as a realignment of Greenbank Road in Barrhaven. Tweaks to the plan Councillors mostly kept that list intact and sent it to council for a final vote, though there were a few tweaks. Barrhaven East Coun. Wilson Lo successfully moved to redraw plans to widen Prince of Wales Drive, removing a section near Merivale Road from the priority list and adding a section north of Fallowfield. Lo also made a more controversial motion for a study that could change the alignment of the proposed LRT to Barrhaven. The tracks were originally set to run west of Woodroffe Avenue. But that would have required expropriating and demolishing low-income homes in Manor Village and Cheryl Gardens. In 2022, council changed the route to avoid that, running the tracks over Woodroffe Avenue at an added cost of $50 million. Lo's motion asked staff to evaluate going back to the original route. He said the new route is more complex, and noted that most of the low-income residents have already been forced out through renovictions. "The reason that pushed for the realignment is no longer there," he said. But Gower countered that even if the original residents are gone, returning to the original route would still cost homes. "Whether they're low income or moderate income, we're still going to be displacing people," Gower said. Lo's LRT motion failed 4-7.
Globe and Mail
07-06-2025
- Globe and Mail
Road lines fading faster after environmental rule, say local politicians – raising costs and safety concerns
Municipalities across the country say a government regulation that limits a group of chemicals used in painting road lines is hitting their budgets hard. Without the chemicals, they say, road lines fade more quickly, putting drivers at risk and forcing municipalities to repaint them more often. 'It seems like something small but it's actually something that affects every municipality across the country,' said Tim Tierney, vice-president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and an Ottawa city councillor. The federal regulations limit the allowable concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) − chemicals in paint products used for road markings − to 150 grams per litre in those products from 450. VOCs are also found in nail polish and hairsprays. The lower limit is required only from May 1 to Oct. 15, when the weather is mild and air pollution is a concern. These are the months during which most municipalities paint their road lines. The regulations by Environment and Climate Change Canada were put forward because VOCs contribute to the formation of both particulate matter and ground-level ozone, which are the two main components of smog. 'Health impacts from smog include irritated eyes, nose and throat. Smog can worsen existing heart and lung problems or may cause lung cancer with regular long-term exposure,' spokesperson Brandon Clim said in a statement. Gary LeRoux, president of the Canadian Coatings Association, said a steep drop in VOC concentration results in 'inherent issues with adhesion and durability.' Councillors across the country say the regulations overlook safety concerns on roads. They say municipalities now require multiple rounds of repaints a year as fading road lines continue to put drivers, pedestrians and motorists' lives at risk. Clark Somerville, councillor for the Town of Halton Hills and the region of Halton, said the regulation is ultimately costing Canadian taxpayers more, with their money being spent 'unnecessarily.' 'As the road painting is disappearing quicker, we are now spending taxpayers dollars to go out and repaint the roads more than what we had to before,' Mr. Somerville said. Rural municipalities say it's particularly an issue for them because their roads are darker and more dangerous at night. 'Anyone that gets behind a vehicle knows how important and key it is to have those lines on the road,' said Kara Westerlund, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta and councillor for Brazeau County. 'Especially when you're in rural areas where we don't have [adequate] street lighting.' Ms. Westerlund, who represents 69 rural municipalities in Alberta, said it's not just councillors or elected officials who have been raising this issue. She said first responders, police services and volunteer firefighters are pointing to disappearing road markings to explain some road accidents. 'It's really tough because everyone wants to be a good steward to the environment, but I just think we have to pick and choose our battles,' said Mr. Tierney, the Ottawa councillor. 'And safety is a real one.' While councillors such as Mr. Somerville are calling for more funding to cover the cost of keeping up road lines, arguing that municipalities do not have the necessary 'wiggle room' in their budgets, Ms. Westerlund said more attention should be paid to the paint. 'Before throwing more funding at crews to paint the lines, let's get to the root of the issue and that is the paint itself,' Ms. Westerlund said. 'Let's find solutions there and move forward from there.' Mr. Clim, the Environment Canada spokesperson, said other factors also determine how long road markings last – traffic volume, weather conditions and how snow and ice are managed. The department 'has not received any technical information indicating that the VOC limits for traffic markings affect the product's performance,' Mr. Clim said. David Saucier, director of issues management at the Canadian Coatings Association, said the federal government should go back to the drawing board and consult industry experts. 'What are we compromising here?' Mr. Saucier said. 'If we're going to compromise health and safety for pedestrians and motorists, what are we saving?' Mr. Tierney said the regulation has had a positive impact when applied to products such as hairsprays or nail polish, 'even wall paint.' 'But when it comes to road painting specifically there doesn't seem to be a magic formula to make it work yet.'
Ottawa Citizen
14-05-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Today's letters: Fix the hazard of vanishing traffic-lane markings
Article content Disappearing lines are dangerous Article content Thank you to Coun. Tim Tierney for explaining why highways have become so dangerous, especially in the rain after dark on a busy, multi-lane highway such as the Queensway. The paints that have been substituted by federal fiat for those used formerly are not fit for purpose since the lines disappear rapidly. Article content Article content Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) contribute to destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer, which protects life on our planet, and must be managed. Canada played a lead role in securing international agreement, the Montreal Protocol, on action to protect the ozone layer. VOCs are also a hazard in the human environment. What is most important to the welfare of citizens is their control inside residences, offices and other buildings, where concentrations are higher and people are exposed for longer. That is managed without creating other hazards. Article content The simple-minded federal approach to highway paints has failed to take account of the resulting hazards to citizens. It also fails to deal with the relative importance of emissions from highway paint and from the combustion of gasoline and especially diesel fuel, that dominate the emission of VOCs from the use of roads. Until we all switch to EVs, sound environmental practice requires analysis of the the whole system, not just one side of the coin. The federal government has created a hazard to the health and welfare of citizens. It should re-evaluate. Article content Article content A big thank you to Coun. Tim Tierney for his enlightening piece on the short life of traffic lane markings. Like other drivers, I have long wondered about this fast-fading phenomenon and have dreaded driving at night, when the lines are entirely invisible. Article content Coun. Tim Tierney has done something surprising and praiseworthy. All politicians are front and centre when the cameras gather at festivals, at community centre openings, at special cause celebrations. I rarely see them posing when new sewers are finished, or potholes filled, or weed-choked playing fields finally cleared. Article content But those are the things we actually hire local politicians to take care of. It's the basic infrastructure of the city, the things we need and rely on daily that matter most.
