The solution is to remove the pressure by easing the usage. The Ministry of Transportation has expressed a priority for widening the QEW-a project that could be completed at a fraction of the cost. At stake, should the Ministry move ahead with its plan, is not only the loss of farmland but also a decrease in the quality of life for those residing alongside this expanded traffic corridor. St. Catharines, bisected by the QEW, would suffer from more noise and more pollution. Sound barriers would block the view of the city creating a tunnel-like corridor funneling motorists through rather than enticing them to visit.
Quality of life is a serious concern for Regional planners.
A recent report called 'Niagara, A Special Place-Today and Tomorrow' expresses that concern and asks for public input in planning how our future will unfold. The key document for determining our future is the Regional Policy Plan. Created in the early 1980s and having been amended over 100 times, it exists as the community blueprint for what the people of this area want to see happen. The Municipal Planning Act requires municipalities to consider the need for review of their policy plan every five years. According to Senior Planner, Ken Forgeron, the plan is in the process of being updated to incorporate more current thinking.