London Roads

[ssiguy]

Where the hell is Colonel Talbot Road, is that the same a sthe old HWY#4?

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

Where the hell is Colonel Talbot Road, is that the same a sthe old HWY#4?

http://goo.gl/maps/T2cu5

Colonel Talbot Road is Highway 4 south of Glanworth Drive to the Elgin County boundary, and north of there to Lambeth it is the former Highway 4. From there, it's just the road leading north from Lambeth to Byron, as Highway 4 turned eastward onto the old Highway 2 at Lambeth. North of Lambeth, it has previously been known as a number of other names, such as North Talbot Road, Talbot Road North Branch, North Street, County Road 40, and at one point, County Road 14-B. It is still known as North Street north of Byron Baseline Road.

[manny_santos]

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/03/11/constr...ult-in-long-term-gain-for-london-drivers

Looks like the three long-awaited widenings of Oxford, Sarnia, and Southdale are going ahead this year.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Southdale and Oxford road widenings are great! Southdale is completely horrendous between Wharncliffe & Wonderland, rush hour or otherwise. Oxfords is good, makes it one of the few, if not only road to be 4 continuous lanes from Airport to far the west end.

Sarnia is really a red herring in the bunch. The widening is only west of Wonderland, prior to the new bridge built there. Doesn't solve the shitty 3 lane set up between Wonderland & Castlegrove, or any connections over the river to Huron.

But I guess for London, it's half decent.

[haljackey]

Much better than last year, when 0 widenings took place.

Guess we can call that a win...

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/03/11/constr...ult-in-long-term-gain-for-london-drivers

Looks like the three long-awaited widenings of Oxford, Sarnia, and Southdale are going ahead this year.

Goddammit, widening of Sarnia is required EAST (not west) of Wonderbread Road.

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Goddammit, widening of Sarnia is required EAST (not west) of Wonderbread Road.

I just drove it yesterday, if this information is correct then I honestly cannot understand why they're spending money to widen a brand new road that is at or under capacity instead of widening a much older road that is way, way over capacity.

They also mention rehabilitating the Richmond bridge south of Windermere. Personally, I drive across this every day and didn't notice any problems with the surface or structure, but I suppose city engineers would know better than me. Still no sign of the much-needed Windermere-Gainsborough link (are they TRYING to make west-enders' lives more difficult?)

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Wharn

I just drove it yesterday, if this information is correct then I honestly cannot understand why they're spending money to widen a brand new road that is at or under capacity instead of widening a much older road that is way, way over capacity.

They also mention rehabilitating the Richmond bridge south of Windermere. Personally, I drive across this every day and didn't notice any problems with the surface or structure, but I suppose city engineers would know better than me. Still no sign of the much-needed Windermere-Gainsborough link (are they TRYING to make west-enders' lives more difficult?)

If I'm not mistaken, the southbound bridge span on Richmond is over 100 years old.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Originally Posted by Wharn

I just drove it yesterday, if this information is correct then I honestly cannot understand why they're spending money to widen a brand new road that is at or under capacity instead of widening a much older road that is way, way over capacity.

They also mention rehabilitating the Richmond bridge south of Windermere. Personally, I drive across this every day and didn't notice any problems with the surface or structure, but I suppose city engineers would know better than me. Still no sign of the much-needed Windermere-Gainsborough link (are they TRYING to make west-enders' lives more difficult?)

Sarnia east of Wonderland is being delayed. They have done EA studies, and all that fun junk. Issue seems to be about neighbors in the area complaining about restricted left hand turns, and ultimately expropriating land. Was originally suppose to be done mid 2010s, now it's deferred until the early 2020s...

Windemere-Gainsborough isn't in the cards, nothing planned. IMO don't think there will ever be. Lot of old money there, with connections, probably don't want through traffic in the area, bothering them or their property values.

Best option IMO would be connect Huron-Sarnia. Would help alleviate traffic around UWO, Huron st. is going to be widened in the east end to 4 lanes relatively soon, as well a bridge there would be less costly than one over the Medway Valley. Either one would do the trick, but it would hell of a fight like Horton St extension was in its day. Glad I'm not in the north end horrendous getting around there.

[haljackey]

Another important east-west connection that has been delayed again and again is the Bradley Avenue extension. We've discussed this multiple times here and it's really needed to take the load off Southdale, but at least that road will be 4 lanes east of Wonderland this year.

It's crazy how there is a signed Wonderland/Bradley intersection with both sides being stubs. One side goes to A&W and the abandoned Angelo's bakery, the other to a paved paradise for Toys R Us moved from the Wellington location.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Southwest end is going to be a nightmare this summer! Would have been nice if the city properly staggered the projects out a bit better, say done the Bradley extension first, then widen Southdale, and then put those idiotic traffic calming measures. Ontop of that Springbank & Commissioners still have work ongoing. Good ass backwards thinking..

Southdale will probably be severely limited if not totally closed, Commissioners will be even more swamped and Westmount local roads will have people cutting thru big time. At least after this year it'll be easier to get to the Southwest.

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by Pimpmasterdac

Southdale will probably be severely limited if not totally closed, Commissioners will be even more swamped and Westmount local roads will have people cutting thru big time. At least after this year it'll be easier to get to the Southwest.

I live near Andover and Viscount, both of which have traffic calming measures, and those roads among others will be a mess as the Southdale widening and other projects take place in the vacuity.

Backwards planning? Yes, but least they're getting projects done. Winter season is about to end, construction season is about to begin. Oh Canada.

[Pimpmasterdac]

I work Southdale/Wonderland and usually cut through that area. I'm waiting for the day someone does serious damage on those extended curbs or traffic islands, and sues the pants off the city. Then see them dig those stupid things out, put the roads back to normal.

Really poor follow through with planning in the area. I remember, (and believe there's still a planning around Leon's) to extend Andover south to Wharncliffe. I don't know whether the city just abandoned the plans or neighbors caused a big cluck, but its scrubbed now the a retirement home in the way. Instead there's gonna be a bunch of disjointed side roads on Southdale, which I'm sure will all want their own sets of lights soon, instead of a more grid like system.

Glad London's getting something done. Make commuting to the Soutwest better in the long run.

[haljackey]

A snowplow damaged one of the medians on Andover during the first snowfall since the reconstruction took place. It has not been fixed.

Ya Andover was to get extended to Bradley, possibly Warncliffe. That didn't take place for some odd reason...

[MrSlippery519]

I know we have all talked about the Bradley extension too many times, I just wish I understood the logic of the city. While expanding Southdale to 4 lanes is long overdue wouldn't it make more sense to do the Bradley extension (4 lanes right from the start) first because that does not disrupt traffic in anyway?

Then once it is done you can do Southdale anytime you want and easily divert traffic to Bradley.

The cities logic just does not make sense to me.

[MolsonExport]

Can anyone explain why the city is chopping up the Wonderland-Aldersbrook section of Sarnia FOR THE THIRD TIME in a decade? No less than two years ago, the entire section was closed and completely upgraded. How on earth could this represent fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers, to pay for this twice in almost as many years? Why? Why? People in this neck of the woods have had it up to "here" with the asinine infrastructure priorities.

[Snark]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Can anyone explain why the city is chopping up the Wonderland-Aldersbrook section of Sarnia FOR THE THIRD TIME in a decade? No less than two years ago, the entire section was closed and completely upgraded. How on earth could this represent fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers, to pay for this twice in almost as many years? Why? Why? People in this neck of the woods have had it up to "here" with the asinine infrastructure priorities.

Are you sure it is/was the City doing the work in all cases?

[manny_santos]

Some new Google Maps directions idiocy in London, courtesy of the Google Map Maker forums...

Google brass in California have decided Western and Wharncliffe Roads is the new National Highway through London. Looking at Google Maps directions now, most north-south trips through the west part of London are forced onto Wharncliffe/Western Road, including the narrow 2-lane section, while completely ignoring Wonderland Road, the obvious main north-south artery.

Mapquest seems to be becoming more accurate with London's area map, with some newer subdivisions finally starting to show up.

This is increasingly going to be an important issue with the development of self-driving cars, as they are going to use these online directions engines to determine routes for cars to get from point A to point B. I don't think Londoners would appreciate a 4-fold increase in traffic on Western and Wharncliffe once driver-less cars start populating London.

[Wharn]

Originally Posted by manny_santos

Some new Google Maps directions idiocy in London, courtesy of the Google Map Maker forums...

Google brass in California have decided Western and Wharncliffe Roads is the new National Highway through London. Looking at Google Maps directions now, most north-south trips through the west part of London are forced onto Wharncliffe/Western Road, including the narrow 2-lane section, while completely ignoring Wonderland Road, the obvious main north-south artery.

Do Americans not understand the meaning of the word "decommissioned", or is Google just incredibly arrogant? All of us have complained about this before, sent notices, and still nothing. On the topic of driverless cars, I don't care what happens to everyone else, I'll be happily cruising along Wonderland while everyone else is jammed up on Wharncliffe. You get what you deserve if you allow a computer to take over the decision-making (like the Aussie who followed his iPhone into the outback).

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Wharn

Do Americans not understand the meaning of the word "decommissioned", or is Google just incredibly arrogant? All of us have complained about this before, sent notices, and still nothing. On the topic of driverless cars, I don't care what happens to everyone else, I'll be happily cruising along Wonderland while everyone else is jammed up on Wharncliffe. You get what you deserve if you allow a computer to take over the decision-making (like the Aussie who followed his iPhone into the outback).

I think it's Google's arrogance, plain and simple. There's been quite a few complaints about this stuff on the Ontroads forum as well (which I know a few people here have posted on).

Western Road has never even been part of an Ontario King's Highway.