To the Editor:
DID YOU KNOW? DO YOU CARE?
If you are a homeowner in Saugeen Shores or if you plan to buy property in Saugeen Shores or if you are concerned about our community and the safety of its people, then this letter applies to you.
Did you know that there are various policies, procedures, guidelines etc. at the Provincial, County and Municipal levels of government which determine how subdivisions are designed and built? Well, there are. For example, there is the: “Ontario Land Use Planning Guide”, Ontario Government “Citizen’s Guide to Land Use Planning”, County of Bruce Planning and Development Department’s “Official Plan”, “Town of Saugeen Shores Official Plan”, “Town of Saugeen Shores Subdivision and Site Plan Development Guide” to name but a few. But these documents don’t mean much if they are not utilized as intended.
Here are a few case-in-points for you to consider as we make our case.
1. Cul-de-sacs
Q. In Saugeen Shores, when is a cul-de-sac considered to have met its maximum length? Is the correct answer: a) 150 meters? b) 325 meters? c) 1000 meters? d) 1325 meters?
A. The correct answer is (a) “150 meters”. According to the Town of Saugeen Shores Subdivision and Site Plan Development Guidelines: “Cul-de-sacs shall be permitted when they are 150 meters or less in length measuring from the intersecting right-of-way to the end of the cul-de-sac.” (Document Page 153).
But a proposed Planning Application (File #S-2021-006) for “Miramichi Shores Phase 4” is being considered for approval by the Town even though it violates their own guidelines.
The Bruce County Planning Report for this particular application states: “The proposed subdivision will require a new municipal street if approved, approximately 325 meters in length”. (Reference: Bruce County Planning Report, dated July 19, 2021, “Traffic” Section). Does this not mean that it is more than twice the length allowable in the Guidelines? Why, yes, it does.
The current cul-de-sac for Miramichi Shores subdivision on Collard Way and Carter Drive is approximately 1 km or 1000 meters in length. For those who are not math-inclined, that is over 6 times the acceptable limit. And yet this new proposed Phase 4 subdivision will add another 325 meters to its road network making it 1325 meters in length which is almost 9 times the allowable limit. Not 2 times. Not 4 times … but 9 times!!
2. Access Points Into or Out of Your Subdivision vs Miramichi Shores
If you live on a straight street, you likely have an entrance at either end. Perhaps you are fortunate to also have some side streets connect to your street. This gives you a variety of options if you want to get from Point A to Point B, doesn’t it?
Have you ever given similar consideration to traffic flow in cul-de-sacs? Likely not – unless you live in one. Although they have many advantages, there is one huge disadvantage and that is entry and egress issues.
Now, if a cul-de-sac was built at a maximum length of 150 meters (as per the Guidelines), then the risks may be minimized. But consider a cul-de-sac which is 1000 meters in length (or potentially 1325 meters if the developer gets his approval) with only 1 entry/exit point. If there was a windstorm or tornado that resulted in trees being knocked down across the entry/exit point, how would you get your family out of the subdivision? If there was a house fire in proximity to the entry/exit point, how would you get your family out? Take into consideration that the Fire Department is likely going to have the area cordoned off during emergency response activities. So if your car has to remain in your driveway or in your garage because you can’t drive anywhere, then you and your family will have to evacuate on foot. Residents of Miramichi Shores would have to do so by running through the bush.
Further to this point, the Director of Infrastructure and Development Services told fellow Council Members and the public that because there is a short median between the entry and exit of the Miramichi Shores subdivision, it is the equivalent of having 2 points of entry and egress.
Given either scenario above regarding fallen trees or fire, how does that work? In our opinion, that would be the equivalent of having a house with only a front door. There are no side doors. There is no back door. Just the front door. Now to make this fair to the Director, for argument’s sake, we will make this front door a double-door with a little post in between. So let’s go back to an emergency situation at this house. There is a fire in the foyer. Oh, but don’t worry – because while 1 door is being consumed by fire, the residents should be able to exit by the door directly beside it. Is that basically not utilizing the same entry/exit point? We think so. Or does that qualify as 2 separate points of entry/exit as the Director is suggesting? We think not.
In a real situation, without a back door or side doors, you would have to head to a window for evacuation … or in the case of those in Miramichi Shores; they would have to run into the bush.
In the Director’s opinion too, if one lane at the median was temporarily closed for a minor emergency such as a car accident, the other lane would be open. This would mean that another driver trying to enter or exit the subdivision may have to drive on the wrong side of the road. If you have seen the entrance and exit points off Miramichi Bay Road, you will have noticed that each of the 2 lanes are narrow to the point that 2 vehicles cannot drive on the same side at the same time. One at a time only. Does this qualify as safe vehicular movement? We think not.
However, there is an alternative to the lack of entrance/exit points in Miramichi Shores. It is one that is already being implemented in other subdivisions within our own community and in other planned subdivisions throughout Ontario. It’s quite simple. It is called a “Secondary Emergency Access Point”. It would provide an alternative exit but likely not quite the same as what you have where you live. But it is an alternative, nonetheless. This type of link would be paved and maintained year-round. The corridor would not be used as a day-to-day thoroughfare. But it would be used by emergency vehicles (ie. fire, ambulance and/or police) or if an evacuation order of Miramichi Shores was required. The rest of the time, it would be treated as a paved walking/bicycle path. Think of it as an emergency life-line, such as a: floatation device, fire ladder, rope from a window, etc.
Some of the newer subdivisions have (or proposed ones will have) 2 or more access points incorporated into their design. These are not all cul-de-sacs but at least provisions have been made during the planning process to ensure there are adequate entrance/exit options for residents. These include:
· Lakeside Woods (north side of Concession 10)
· Solstice at Summerside (Phase 4) in Port Elgin – a partial cul-de-sac
· Devonshire Place in Port Elgin
· Westlinks in Port Elgin
· Southampton Landing in Southampton
· Woodlands (south side of Concession 10)
So why would the Town of Saugeen Shores even consider adding to an existing over-sized cul-de-sac without including a second access/egress point? We would love to have an appropriate answer to that question.
Back to the Question – Do you Care? …
In the “Objectives” section of the Town’s Official Plan, it states: “To provide a framework for the provision of a well-planned transportation network that promotes the safe, efficient movement of goods and people within and through the Settlement Area.” Does a cul-de-sac of over 150 meters without a secondary access meet these objectives? We think not.
In the “Goal” section of the Town’s Official Plan it states: “It is the goal of this Plan to create a healthy, livable and safe community through community development patterns, community design and building design.” Does adding an additional 325 meters to an already over-sized cul-de-sac meet this goal? We think not.
If the County of Bruce has set a precedent that additional emergency vehicle access points be required for all future planned subdivisions (ie. Woodlands Subdivision using Hilly Lane as an access point), explain to us why the proposed Phase 4 addition to Miramichi Shores is being considered without the implementation of a secondary emergency egress point? Does the health and safety of all Miramichi Shores residents not have the same value as the residents of the above-mentioned subdivisions and the residents in the area to which you reside?
We certainly hope that an emergency situation never occurs in the Miramichi Shores subdivision. Period. But if it does, we need to have a plan in place for it. If emergency response vehicles cannot access our homes because our 1 and only access point is completely blocked (ie. trees fallen across Collard Way at Miramichi Bay Road, or if there is a fire in that vicinity, or if the road is washed out at the entrance during damaging storms on Lake Huron), then there must be a back-up plan including an appropriate evacuation route.
The developer’s new proposed subdivision in Miramichi Shores (File #S-2021-006) is for a cul-de-sac which is over twice the allowable length according to the Town of Saugeen Shores Subdivision and Site Plan Development Guidelines.
If you care about how the Town of Saugeen Shores plans their new subdivisions (which potentially could be where your next home is located), then now is the time to voice your concerns to your Member of Council. They are getting ready to make a decision shortly. Time is of the essence here.
If you are unsure who to contact, here is a list which might help you.
Mayor: Luke Charbonneau (519-832-2008); Deputy Mayor: Don Matheson (519-832-2008); Vice-Deputy Mayor: Mike Myatt (519-832-2008); Councillor Southampton: Cheryl Grace (519-832-2008); Councillor Southampton: John Rich (519-832-2008); Councillor Port Elgin: Jami Smith (519-832-2008); Councillor Port Elgin: Kristan Shrider (519-832-2008); Councillor Saugeen: Dave Myette (519-832-2008); Councillor Saugeen: Matt Carr (519-832-2008).
If you wish to use an online platform, go to the Town of Saugeen Shore’s website (under “Contact Us”, then look under “Mayor and Council”), you will be able to access each member and a link to their email.
These are your elected officials. Your voice counts in this matter as much as ours does. It could be a matter of life and death.
On a personal level, we hereby request the Town of Saugeen Shores Council and the County of Bruce, reject the current proposal to add to the residential size of the Miramichi Shores subdivision. We also request that you add a secondary emergency access point to potentially save lives of the approximately 155 people who currently reside there. Is a safe community for everyone in Saugeen Shores not a priority?
Dan and Lynn Staddon
