IT MIGHT BE TOO LATE TO ARGUE with the wisdom of a previous provincial government

in its downloading of 5,000 kilometres of provincial highways, although we still find it nonsensical folly that Highway 9 became a county road between Orangeville and Harriston only to remain a provincial highway beyond that.

But the government of the day did one thing right amid its multiple downloading errors: they retained Highway 10 as "provincially significant." But did it?

The question arises long after the fact because today, the new Queen's Park regime, represented by the Ministry of Transportation at London, wants to have an origin-destination study of traffic clogging the main streets of Shelburne on Highway 10 to determine whether or not that traffic originates out of the area or somewhere else.

We know, without a study, that transport traffic negotiating the 80-degree T-intersection of Main and Owen Sound streets is largely carrying goods to Owen Sound, a city that now lacks any kind of railway connection.

This is the daily routine. And residents have complained for years about the vibrations and noises from these gigantic trucks.

We think, given the fact that this is a provincial highway, and in recognition of the truth

that transports are causing much of the problem, the provincial government has been shirking its responsibility to ensure that its highways do not destroy the right of every resident to enjoy life. The delay in studies, indeed the need for them, is no more than a stalling tactic on the part of the province.

That said, we have to acknowledge that rerouting through traffic is not a simple exercise.

In that sense, we would prefer to see a study into options for a bypass. Given that the need is demonstrated daily, this is the only study that would make sense.

We know the bypass is not about to happen this year or next, but we urge the authorities to consider where it should go (surely directly east-west between the "cemetery corner" and the former Highway 24) and not argue about whether or not it should ever happen.

Beyond that, we would suggest that Shelburne council seek the support of its township neighbours in a campaign to have Dufferin build the short bypass in much the same way it built Orangeville's new, much longer south bypass when the Province was similarly intractable.

Who knows? Maybe the McGuinty government as it approaches an election might even dip into its petty cash fund to help finance what obviously should be a provincial project.