Despite the majority of area residents not wanting them, the City of Richmond is pressing ahead with the installation of speed humps on a notorious section of road.

In a bid to alleviate major safety issues on a stretch of River Road — dubbed “Misery Mile” between No. 7 Road and Westminster Highway — the city is going to lay down 20 “cushioned” speed humps.

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However, when the city conducted a survey of local residents in the summer, of the 47 who responded, 60 per cent opposed bringing in the speed humps, due to concerns about noise, wear and tear to their vehicles, safety and effectiveness.

Instead, most of the residents called for more police enforcement of the posted 50 km/h speed limit on the stretch which has long been considered as one of the most dangerous in Richmond, especially for cyclists.

Earlier this year, the Richmond News reported how, in the last, eastern-most mile of River Road alone, there have been four driving-related deaths in recent years, one each year, from 2013 to 2016.

Although taking note of the residents’ concerns, city staff cited that car and truck speeds in the area cannot be tempered by enforcement alone.

And a report and recommendation, approved Monday by city council, described how the proposed speed humps have been very effective on the southern stretch of Gilbert Road, close to Dyke Road, without any damage to vehicles, while allowing them to travel at the speed limit of 50.

“Although 60 per cent of the survey respondents indicated non-support for the proposed speed humps, the reasons cited for the opposition were found by staff to be primarily based on personal perceptions. Staff assessment was based on technical analysis prior to developing the recommendation,” said the city’s transportation planner Joan Caravan, in her report.

“As speeding continues to be a continuing potential safety issue and concern of the area residents and businesses, the only effective means to minimize this undesirable driver behaviour would be to install physical deterrents, such as speed humps as a long term measure…”

Along with associated signage, the cost of installing the 20 speed humps is $100,000, which will come from the city’s traffic calming program.

As well as the speed humps, the city has almost completed installing new “single file” signage and dashed, single yellow road markings.

“Caution” signs are also expected to be finished soon, to advise motorists when to expect large volumes of cyclists on the road, usually during weekends.

According to Richmond RCMP, there were 21 driving-related fatalities on Richmond’s roads, including that of cyclists and pedestrians, from 2013 to 2015.

Last year, the section of River Road in question took the life of a popular cyclist who died after a car plowed head-on into his group.



Tragic toll:

The red boxes indicate four driver-related deaths in four years in the mile-long stretch of River Road at its eastern-most end.

Nov. 6, 2016:

Cyclist Brad Dean died and two more cyclists were seriously injured after they were hit head-on by a car travelling east in the 23000-block of River Road.

Dec. 14, 2015:

A 47-year-old man died after the car he was driving slammed into the support pillars of a train trestle in the 20000-block of River Road.

Sept. 7, 2014:

A driver died after his vehicle flipped over in the 22100-block of River Road and landed upside down in the Fraser.

July 17, 2013:

A vehicle carrying four occupants between the ages of 18 to 21 was travelling eastbound in the 22000-block of River Road when it collided with two power poles. The 18-year-old female driver died.