Residents on the South River Road between Elora and Fergus are generally very pleased it is going to be resurfaced – but now they have safety concerns.
Councillor Fred Morris told council Monday night that the July 7 decision to spend a provincial grant of $875,595 plus another $106,485 in township reserves to resurface the road was met with joy by residents.
But, they wondered, will the new road also attract speeders.
“What safety measures can we put in when people don’t need to worry about their suspensions?” Morris said of the currently very rough road.
He wondered if the speed could be reduced to 50km/hour from the current 60.
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj reminded him, though, that the road is a rural one.
Morris argued that is true, but it is a well populated road. There are numerous houses on the north side of the road, running all the way between the two urban centres.
Morris said there was a recent accident with a cyclist, but fortunately, there were no major injuries. He asked if the township will paint three lines on the road. One would be the centre line, and the other two would be along the edges to define the road surface.
Ross-Zuj said there has been “an amazing response” from the public about the resurfacing, “shave and pave,” and she agreed there are safety issues. She said those should be passed along to the township engineer and Public Works Director Ken Elder.
She noted, though, that the configuration of the road is such that there is no room for bicycle paths on it. She said “speed and lines can be considered.
“We’ve already passed along some of the issues you’ve alluded to,” she told Morris. “We do have some difficulty defining that road.”
Councillor Kirk McElwain said that he, too, has heard from a number of residents, and their main concern is speeding, and their second issue is bicycle lanes.
Ross-Zuj said, “In a perfect world, yes.”
The road has always presented problems because it has very narrow shoulders and is next to impossible to widen in several areas. Councils have considered what to do with it over the years, but there appears to be very little space for widening without major expenses.
Councillor Walt Visser said the issues have been brought up in committee as well.
Council then approved the project as recommended from its July 7 committee of the whole meeting. The work is scheduled to be completed before the end of November.
