CAMBRIDGE — Nobody who lives near the proposed route of a bypass highway along the city’s south side had anything good to say about it at a public meeting Feb. 3.

Resident after resident panned the long-proposed South Boundary Road along the city limits. It should be father south, away from houses and nature areas, they said.

And it needs to be part of a better plan to move traffic around Cambridge. Some doubted the road would do much to move car traffic off clogged Myers Road.

“This road is just as ludicrous as the Can-Amera Parkway,” said Gerry Mitchell of Drinkwater Drive.

“Why do we even need this road? Where’s it going to go? Who’s going to use it?”

About 70 people attended the meeting at Cambridge Christian School on Myers Road. It was hosted by the Waterloo Region planning and works committee.

No responses to public questions were given. Written responses were promised later. 

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A final recommended route will be considered by regional council in the spring.

Work isn't expected to start before 2013 on the $13.5 million first section, between Water Street to Franklin Boulevard. Franklin to Dundas Street isn't expected to be built until 2021. No cost was available.

Only Chris Pidgeon spoke in an amicable way about the preferred route. He's a planner representing Activa Holdings, which owns about 30 hectares of land near Dundas Street.

He said Activa would prefer the road not cross their proposed subdivision. If it does, a land-swap and adjustment of the city boundary should be arranged to make up for any land lost.

Robert Fabbro, of Cheese Factory Road, said he presented a 100-name petition from people opposed to the preferred road route.

Residents haven't received detailed explanations about why the road should go where it's proposed, or what damage it will do if built.

"Nothing makes sense to me about where you're putting this," he said. "It's been two years of hell."

Several residents of Langlaw Drive -- which would get the road behind their homes -- wanted it moved south, following the existing Waynco Road in North Dumfries. That would save money, several said.

After the meeting, regional staff said Waynco was examined, but rejected, because it mean dealing with closing dozens of driveways and taking a wide swath through a protected nature area for the four-lane road. It would also create pressure to allow development on the open land between the city limits and the new highway.

On balance, they doubted it would offer any savings over the proposed route.

Several of the 13 people opposed to the road wondered why wiggling it around nature areas is more important than the health of hundreds of city residents

"You're trying to protect all the environmental areas, but what about all the young people on Langlaw Drive who will be breathing carbon dust in the air" from all the trucks, said Michael O'Donnell, of Langlaw Drive.