Save Noone's Travel Plaza

I am writing to you today because we all need to be aware of something that will prove to be detrimental to the infrastructure of our commuting passage – whether it is by automobile, snowmobile, atv, or simply by foot.

Noone’s Travel Plaza has been in operation since 1956. Although it has had many changes over the years, they have all been to best serve the needs of all travelers. This business not only is a highway stop – it is a rare location that lies within a network of recreation trails in the oak ridges moraine.

This is important because it could be gone. As we speak, the 407 team is working on its final plans to develop the 407 - Some which would mean the elimination of Noone’s. However, as this is still in the planning stages, we have the opportunity to voice our opinions.

First – you need a little background information about the 407 and its ongoing development. For the last 40 years, the 407 has been on the table to have an eastern link that would join the 407 to the Highway 35/115 junction. The original planned route would have seen the highway follow an east/west direction, and then veer to the north and join into the existing junction where the 35/115 highway splits, which is approximately three kilometers north of Noone’s Travel Plaza.

In June 2007, the 407 held public information meetings throughout Durham Region to unveil the determined route. This route changed drastically in that it no longer connected at the 35 junction – it instead joined to the 35/115 Highway south of Noone’s between the Concession Road 8 and Concession Road 7 also known as County Road 9 in the hamlet of Kirby. The Section of the 35/115 Highway from the 35 Junction to the Kirby Intersection shall be upgraded to a 400 series highway, which means that all highway access points shall be removed.

Since last June, the 407 people have been meeting with us to come up with a design that would incorporate our site into a highway service center, while still maintaining our location and our commitment to the recreation industry. At this particular time, the 407 planners feel that the cost to keep us here is greater than that of our elimination.

What the 407 people have failed to realize is that if we were to be removed, with the present laws and legislation governing the oak ridges moraine, we would also never be replaced – in any form. While Noone’s is located directly on the Highway 35/115, it is also located on the E108 Main Tops Trail, which is recognized by Tourism Ontario. To put this into perspective – if you were travelling by snowmobile, there would not be a service location for food and fuel between Port Perry and Bewdley. Furthermore, there would be nothing 24 hours from Port Perry to Campbellford. When you equate the highway commuters, as an example, if you are travelling from Peterborough area to our area, there simply is not anywhere to stop for fuel, food, rest or emergency. Add to that, if you are someone who would take the 407 west to beyond the airport, there is nothing. Responsible urban planning must take this into consideration. It is simply unsafe to not have this facility, given that vast distance one would have to go to safely stop.

We need the 407 project team to fully understand how important it is for a facility as unique as ours is to remain and be included in the monumental decision that this development would entail.