On February 12th, 2021, the City of London delivered a Project Notice and Pre-Construction Information letter regarding the St. Anthony Road Reconstruction Project to the residents of Hazelden South, also known as Old Hazelden, whose properties abut the planned construction zone.
The letter details the proposed upcoming construction to the eastern half of St. Anthony Road which includes watermain, catchbasin and concrete curb replacement, a new sidewalk on the south side of the street from the west leg of Hampton Crescent to Hyde Park Road and tree removals.
Neighbourhood residents reacted quickly. On Friday, February 12th, a petition voicing strong opposition to the addition of sidewalks, written by Jacqueline Miller and Jodie Lucente, began circulating around the neighbourhood. By Sunday, Miller and Lucente, through some pretty inclement winter weather, had managed to reach every single house in Old Hazelden and had either talked to someone in every home or at least leave the petition in the mailbox.
“We do not believe that the installation of sidewalks on St. Anthony Road will increase the safety of pedestrians … people do not feel at risk when walking or cycling on the road.”
Petition of Residents to City Hall
The petition points out that Old Hazelden is a quiet, entirely residential subdivision with extremely low traffic volumes, no identifiable destination points like schools, churches, or stores, with little, if any, “pass through/cut through traffic.” The petition goes on to say that the addition of sidewalks will not make the neighbourhood safer and will negatively impact area trees (almost a third of the trees on the City owned boulevard are slated to be cut down according to a report to the London Civic Works Committee), residential parking (due to the loss of driveway length) and may actually decrease safety in the winter because sidewalk maintenance is not prioritized within smaller residential subdivisions, leading to snowy, icy sidewalks not being used anyway.
On February 12th, 2021, former London city councillor and deputy mayor, Paul Hubert, sent a letter to Steve Lehman, councillor for Ward 8, which encompasses Old Hazelden. In the letter, Hubert echoed many of the same points as the petition. While he, “concur[red] with the need for sidewalks and the general policy under the London Plan … the report [to the London Civic Works Committee] also affirms the need to mitigations in older neighbourhoods. This project is a strong candidate for curb face sidewalks.” He went on to question the applicability of the report to Old Hazelden, pointing out that there are no sidewalks anywhere in the neighbourhood and that, “the vehicles are all local residents and not cut throughs.”
“It will be a sidewalk from nowhere to nowhere”
Paul Hubert, neighbourhood resident
Hubert asked Lehman, “what the overall infrastructure upgrade plan is for the neighbourhood,” noting that, “in the absence of the larger plan in a timely way this becomes a sidewalk that does not serve any purpose … It will be a sidewalk from nowhere to nowhere.” Finally, Hubert notes that some on City council will claim that the lack of sidewalks will negatively affect those with mobility challenges but counters this by stating that there is currently, “no sense of fear or unsafety” in the member of his household with such a disability.
The report referred to by both Hubert and the neighbourhood petition is a report to the City of London Civic Works Committee, and its purpose is to justify the addition of sidewalks on street reconstruction projects to reduce accessibility barriers. The report identifies eight streets, including St. Anthony Road, that are to be reconstructed with new sidewalks.
The impact on mature tress, however, is substantial. Of the 261 trees on City-owned boulevards, fully 73 are proposed to be cut down, representing close to a 30% removal rate.
The rational behind the addition of sidewalks is safety, accessibility, sustainable transportation and walkability and are balanced against the impacts on property and mature trees, which is substantial. Of the 261 trees on City-owned boulevards in the neighbourhoods slated to get sidewalks, fully 73 are proposed to be cut down, representing close to a 30% removal rate.
The report points out that London Plan policy 349 provides specific direction for where sidewalks are to be installed. However, that same “sidewalks” policy is currently under appeal, and not in effect.
Thanks for the article.