​Background:

How do we balance tourism with residents’ mobility and quality of life?

Tourism is an important part of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s economy and provides employment and business opportunities.

However, visitor activity also creates pressures on roads, parking, transportation infrastructure, public spaces, and neighbourhoods.

Traffic and parking problems are particularly evident during peak tourism periods, but transportation affects residents throughout the year.

The Town’s current parking study also presents an opportunity to consider whether Niagara-on-the-Lake should explore more innovative ways of managing visitor traffic and moving visitors away from the most congested areas. Council and town staff need to explore innovative ideas and consider CBA’s (Cost Benefit Analyses) for new builds.

Residents may want candidates to address:

• Traffic congestion.

• Traffic generated by tourism and new development.

• Parking availability and management.

• Visitor parking outside the core business districts.

• Park-and-ride opportunities.

• Public transit and visitor transportation.

• Pedestrian safety.in proximity to e-bikes and e-scooters Cycling infrastructure with more bike lanes and racks

• Traffic safety, a crack down on stunt driving and speed enforcement and speeding. Major intersections and transportation bottlenecks.

• The impact of development on existing transportation infrastructure.

• Regional transportation planning that supports Go Train upgrades, inter-community

• electric transport.

•  Do candidates understand the business plan for the planned Niagara District Airport

• expansion to accommodate mid-size passenger jets?

• Tourism-related infrastructure costs like increased policing and possible arrival of

• homeless people?

• The impact of tourism on residential neighbourhoods.

• Hotel and accommodation development.

• How tourism growth should be managed.

• Whether tourism should contribute appropriately toward the municipal costs it generates.

• Do candidates support or oppose gambling casinos in Nigara0on-the-Lake?

• Do candidates oppose the sale of cannibis in Niagara-on-the-Lake?

Key question for candidates:

How can Niagara-on-the-Lake manage tourism, traffic, and parking more effectively including innovative approaches such as park-and-ride and visitor transportation while protecting residents’ quality of life and the character of the community?