Stephen Vance, Staff
Residents of Frogs Hollow Road want their road resurfaced and widened, citing safety concerns.
Two residents of the road, Heather Metzger and Don Churchill, appeared before council at their October 3 meeting to make a presentation that included photos of the crumbling road between the Town Line and the 3rd Line, and a request that council act soon.
“Our road is in really bad shape,” Metzger told council. “It has deteriorated significantly in the last couple of years. So we’re requesting that the town approve asphalt with paved shoulders.”
Metzger said that paved shoulders would be a benefit for those who use the road for cycling, running, or walking.
“The road has become busier. There are a lot of construction trucks, a lot of foot traffic, a lot of cycling traffic, and for the safety and comfort of everyone, we just need new road,” suggested Metzger.
In their presentation Metzger and Churchill told council that the surface of Frogs Hollow Road is uneven, creating “significant challenges for vehicle drivers to maintain a safe and comfortable ride”, and the road is narrow making it dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists.
Though the municipality has been patching sections of the road, Metzger told council that those patches only last a short period of time before they break apart and create even bigger problems.
Residents of Frogs Hollow Road aren’t alone in their frustrations about the condition of their road. Two years ago council was told that more than $190 million would be required to address municipal road infrastructure needs over the next 50 years. The last two municipal budgets have included a one percent property tax increase dedicated strictly for roads, and both council and staff have acknowledged the need to bolster road infrastructure repair and maintenance funding in the coming years.
In addition to residents of the road expressing their concerns to council, Bill Abbott of the South Georgian Bay Bicycle Coalition also appeared before council to express the need for repairs to Frogs Hollow Road as well as to ask that council consider the addition of bicycle lanes to rural roads that are popular with cyclists. He told council that roughly 500 cyclists are members of the organization which draws members from Collingwood, The Blue Mountains, Meaford, and Owen Sound.
“We find Frogs Hollow Road to be a quieter and safer road to ride than Highway 26, at least when it’s in good repair,” Abbott told council.
Council is about to start deliberations for the 2017 municipal budget, which will include making decisions on funding for road maintenance and repair for next year and the years to follow.
