Mile Hill Road one-way conversion plans put on hold

Lots of community feedback sends county staff back to the drawing board

By Casandra Turnbull

Plans to convert Mile Hill Road to one-way traffic, complete with a dedicated cyclist/pedestrian lane, have been put on hold thanks to an abundance of feedback from residents who live on or near Mile Hill Road. Last November, the County announced plans to change the roadway and hosted a public information session in January to present the idea.

Consultants from IBI Group used a slideshow presentation to share the proposed changes with residents, changes that mainly centred around converting the road to one-way southbound traffic only, and installing a new multi use path on the west side of the road between Hillside Ave/Washington St and Powerline Road The plan sparked lots of community debate, particularly from some residents who live on Mill Hill.

While many of the area residents agree the road is becoming more dangerous particularly with speeders and dangerous drivers, but the solution they say, is not to convert the road to one way traffic. In fact, many feel the change would make the road more dangerous and it presents challenges for the residents whose driveways are not designed to accommodate south bound traffic only (some for vital service deliveries) and for emergency response times for front line responders.

The County investigated a number of options, since that public meeting, but have yet to come up with a viable solution

“We’ve done a lot of work since public engagement,” said Greg Demers during an Administration and Operations Meeting earlier this month. In addition to meeting with residents, the county mauled over several options.

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It was a full house during a January 2023 Open House to discuss proposed changes to Mile Hill Road (pictured above). Councillors heard recently at an Administration and Operations meeting that plans to convert the road to oneway for vehicle use (see below) are on hold as county staff continues to investigate viable options to make the road safer.

Installing timed signals (so traffic can only travel one direction based on a timed signal), implementing a time of day for proposed travel direction (based on signage only) and simply doing nothing were all ruled out, mainly because it would result in long traffic queues and isn’t conducive for residents who live on the road. Speed humps were also suggested but they are not recommended for a roadway with as many curves and due to the grade/topography of Mile Hill.

The option to convert the roadway to one-way southbound traffic, as proposed, is not off the table completely, but will not move forward at this time. Until a permanent solution is developed, Demers said county staff will continue to monitor the roadway by collecting more data, including a study that will monitor traffic for 24 hours a day, for a full week. “We will follow up with traffic studies at a couple points throughout the year,” he told committee members

To address immediate concerns, new signs and two digital speed boards were installed, which area residents say has helped slow traffic down. The county is looking to implement speed cushions, on areas of the road that have minimal grade mainly the top and bottom of Mile Hill Road Speed cushions allow emergency personnel to pass their wheels on either side of the raised area. There’s also an opportunity to install centre line knockdowns in the curved portions of the road to alert motorists who veer into oncoming traffic, a measure that will attempt to combat drivers who tend to ride the middle line on this very windy and narrow road.

Some citizens living on Mile Hill Rd (pictured right) had not only personal concerns with the proposed changes, but also safety concerns based on driving behaviour they see daily on Mile Hill Road Isaac Rosebrugh, (second from left) said he’d like the County to spend the extra money and fix Mile Hill Road the right away to support traffic in the years to come. “widen it properly, allowing for two-way traffic and a nice, safe, elevated multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists,” Rosebrugh suggests, and made reference to the recently completed Laurel Street reconstruction project, which drastically improved the quality of that roadway to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Finally, the county is meeting with local cycling groups to discuss alternate routes for cyclists, as Mile Hill Road is currently listed on the Grand River Cycling Loop and cycling and walking are an important feature in the recently updated Master Transportation Plan Councillor John Bell urged county staff to look at the pedestrian and cycling signs currently on Mile Hill because as the weather warms up, it’s likely cyclists will start to use the loop regularly.

“Today pedestrians and cyclists can use Mile Hill. I believe that safety on the hill for this group of users is not good enough - a function of excessive vehicle speeds, limited sight lines and lack of sidewalks - even the majority of residents who oppose any change to 2 way operation of the roadway hold that belief,” said Bell, noting it’s a tricky scenario since walkability and cycling are key factors in the updated Master Transportation Plan

“The topography and property ownership on Mile Hill presents physical and funding challenges A two-way road plus an additional dedicated walking/cycling lane will be expensive and its cost and feasibility would have to be set against other priorities for infrastructure in the county,” added Bell

County staff will continue to gather information and data on Mile Hill Road and will report back to council with further recommendations later this year.