GuelphToday received the following Letter to the Editor from reader Stephen Oakley, in regards to the poor roads in Guelph:
The CAA is currently running their annual “Worst Roads” campaign, which has been going since 2003. Be sure to enter your nomination between March 27 and April 19 at this address: caasco.com/worstroads The 2023 results are posted here, https://caaworstroads.com/clubs/ontario/ and York Road in Guelph took top spot for the worst road in our region.
There should be absolutely no problem for each and every Guelph user of roadways and sidewalks to come up with a nomination, as the city has let the condition of our walking, cycling and driving surfaces deteriorate to such poor condition that in some areas the roads are literally disintegrating.
This is the short version of a letter submitted to city councilors and the Mayor, outlining observations that I have made (as a pedestrian, cyclist and motorist) over the past 3 decades living in Guelph. The purpose of the letter is to unite all Guelphites from neighbourhoods across the city in a “Call to Action”. As we approach income tax season, it seems appropriate for the city to review how it is spending the 5.8 per cent of tax revenue which is allocated to roads and sidewalks, and compare that with the current conditions resulting from decades of neglect. All Guelph taxpayers deserve to see how our money is being spent, and if it does not meet our needs, changes must be made going forward.
The Mayor of Toronto recently remarked in the media, that she was “not prepared to continue allowing the streets to become full of potholes, encounter locked public washrooms, and other indicators of a city in decline”. This is the reason for writing this letter, to advocate a change in course to prevent further decline in Guelph.
Rather than spending the 5.8 per cent of tax revenue on fixing the abysmal roads in Guelph, the city has chosen instead to use those funds on traffic calming installations consisting of a plethora of unnecessary signage (there are 50 unique metal signs in one block along Forest Street), concrete “paddle boards” which are huge ugly yellow monstrosities that interfere with the normal curvature of corners at intersections (see Edinburgh and Wellington), and hundreds of litres of paint, often applied to adjacent crumbling pavement. The creation of more cycling lanes and installation of dedicated traffic signals for those lanes are examples of spending money on the wrong things. As a cyclist, one needs smooth, sealed and swept surfaces to ride on; at present you are not maintaining the existing network of cycling lanes, so that money should be spent on maintaining what is already there, not creating new and abandoning the old.
In addition to being examples of negligent spending, the traffic measures are often having unintended impacts. If one observes the vehicles negotiating the concrete paddleboards you will see that the geometry created by the obstacle and adjacent incorrect lane markings brings vehicles turning toward one another far too close; in fact, many drivers perform a “cross manoeuvre” ending up in the opposite lane to that intended. There are also many instances where drivers are coming to a full stop when not required to do so, based upon their comprehension of the myriad of signs now cluttering the roads.
Lastly, the obstacles installed in the roadways often block catch basins and make it impossible for the sweepers to reach the curb (I have yet to observe hand tools being used to compensate for this).
Also worthy of a mention is the unknown amount of property damage caused to vehicles, bicycles and other property due to the poor condition of Guelph roads. Just ask one of our excellent bike shops or independent garages about wheel damage, suspension damage, cracked windshields, etc.
Stephen Oakley,
Guelph
