Elgin County Transportation Master Plan

Richmond road

As a frequent cycler on Richmond Rd. I have to agree with many others, the Phillmore Bridge is the spot. Putting a hard surfaced cycle lane on this bridge would be ideal but I'm not sure that's even possible on this structure. At the very least the warning signs need to be moved to the top of the hill on either side for those unfamiliar with the road and this bridge. Flying down that hill at 40-50 kph on a bike, it isn't too effective or safe to see these at the very last minute.
Mike

Richmond Road Bridge (Phillmore Bridge) is unsafe for cyclists.

How on earth did Wellington Road between St. Thomas and London manage to get resurfaced without the addition of cycle lanes?? This is in direct contravention of the Elgin County Official Plan (2015) section E5.2 "investigate and provide for bicycle lanes wherever possible in the construction or reconstruction of roads and bridges;" not to mention the Ontario Provincial Policy Statement (2020 most recently) Sections 1.1.3.2, 1.6.7.4 and 1.8.1 among others. Philmore Bridge is yet another example of failure to adhere to your own policies.

Yup, Richmond Road bridge

Phillmore Bridge on Richmond road. I know several people who have been seriously injured on this bridge!

Phillmore bridge on Richmond rd.needs to be resurfaced. I had a severe accident there 3 years ago, causing me to be hospitalized for 3 months. And I know of 3 other horrendous cycling accidents on that bridge. How many more people need to be injured before it’s deemed unsafe?

The Phillmore Bridge just past the town of Richmond. I know several people who have crashed while riding bicycles and suffered horrible injuries as a result of the poor surface choice. Even a small bike lane sized safe surface installation would improve this situation dramatically. It would like be low cost comparatively as well. Nobody else needs to get hurt!!!

Phillmore Bridge on Richmond Road needs to be remediated to allow for safe cycling. The steel grate surface causes serious injury to cyclists if even remotely wet. This has been a well-known issue for years.

http://aylmerexpress.com/2020/05/richmond-bridge-treacherous-on-two-wheels/

In various places around the county, when a paved shoulder ends, signs say "Share The Road Ends". This is extraordinarily dangerous and creates unnecessary aggression from Vehicle drivers. Indeed, greater efforts should be made to make bike paths and paved shoulders contiguous. I know this is a work in progress and do appreciate the strides that have been made.

South Street in Aylmer - a busy corridor with 5 schools connected to it. Would love emphasis on Active and Safe Routes to School - make it better/safer for walking and wheeling.

John St. North in Aylmer is terrible for walking. At busy times I often have to run to make it across the wide road in between gaps in traffic. It needs many more places to safely cross (possibly using pedestrian islands to allow crossing one lane at a time). Near Spruce Street is particularly concerning due to the many spots vehicles enter and exit, which many do without signalling.

Also, the light at Beech Street sometimes has a very short cycle for walking North/South.

John Wise Line, south of Aylmer esp at intersection of Imperial Road/ John Wise Line. There needs to be a stop light at that intersection for cars and cyclists. Apparently a traffic study was done but ? when? Roads have become busier since the work on hwy 3 was done and now people go over JW Line before crossing thru Aylmer. Cyclists are numerous on JWLine and bike lane should be there for safety.

Roundabouts have less accidents than stop signs. Roundabouts should be considered for #45 & #19, #73 & #52, conservation line & rogers road as well as other intersections. Thank you

Consider raising speed limits on County Roads to 90 km/h as is done on some neighbouring county roads. Encourage cyclist to take less busy township roads where adequate infrastructure is available.
Provide more complete and dedicated cycling and walking routes in urban areas.

Roads need improvement now to keep cyclists and motorists safe. Paved shoulders like the ones on Dexter Line should be standard on all paved roads. As a lifelong avid cyclist, I have been dangerously passed from behind and head on by too many drivers who don't provide enough room ( for example, an ambulance!) and who have deliberately forced me off the road. Driver education in this area needs vast improvement in our County. Developing the multi-use rail trail system should be a priority to offer safe exercise experiences for all, and to promote tourism. Look to Port Dover to Brantford and Guelph to Goderich rail trail system. Parry Sound has a well-developed rail trail system that is accessed by locals and tourists year-round. I also agree with the comment about the Share the Road signs having zones. Roads are to be safely shared by all.

Another thought I have about all of this is that the transportation network timeline is far too long. Roads need improvements for cycling now, not in 30 years; not even in 10 years.
And, we need a very deliberate and poignant driver education plan to help motorists understand that cyclists ARE allowed to use the roads, they are people too, and that the speeding doesn’t make anything better for anyone. The excessive speed I see on roads in Elgin is burning more fuel than necessary, putting more pollutants into the air, negatively affecting climate change, etc. And, to that end, the frequency of motorists who take the opportunity to rev their engines as they pass cyclists—to engulf them in a cloud of exhaust—is on the rise. Please make Elgin roads safer for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, etc.

Elgin roads need more room for cyclists—this means wider paved shoulders like the brilliant new shoulders installed on Dexter Line in 2020. We need the absolute removal of ALL signs that indicate that any “share the road” zone ends. The roads are always to be shared. Those signs empower motorists to treat cyclists as targets—verbal abuse, passing too close, and middle-finger salutes are something I have experienced a lot of on roads within 1 km of the dreadful “share the road ends” signs.
Start enforcing speed limits. Elgin County drivers are monsters with speed and tailgating. This makes driving dangerous, and given that it can lead to other problems, it makes roads dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians.