1812 military road

One need not search long to find reference to August 8, 1812, "General Brock marched through the valley, and out the Governor’s Road with forty regulars and 260 militia men....After picking up sixty Indians at the Mohawk Village" they went on to capture Detroit a few days later, a key victory for the vastly outnumbered force. (Woodhouse, T. Roy. Dundas Historical Society, The History of the Town of Dundas, Part 1, p23)

"Following their defeat by the Americans at the Battle of Moraviantown near the Thames River, the British and allied warriors of 1813 under the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh (who died in this battle) travelled east to the Grand River by trail and onto Lake Ontario via the Dundas portage, ultimately camping at the ‘fine large sandy bay’ at Burlington Bay." (Henderson, Bob, Every Trail Has A Story, p84)

Distance Map

According to my mapquest data, (after finding the km button, rather than the miles) we can see that the stretch of road this blog is primarily concerned with is less than 1 kilometre in length. But an important .7km given the location of three schools (two primary and one secondary school) along this corridor.

PETITION

Hi - you can print off a legal size pdf version of the new Governor's Road Safety Petition by following the link. The text of the petition is copied below:

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Whereas new elementary school construction on Governors Road will result in more children crossing or walking adjacent to Governors Road, and,

Whereas upon completion of the new school there will be two elementary schools and one high school on this short stretch of road, and,

Whereas children should have safe and active routes to school in order to gain emotional and physical benefits of a healthy lifestyle, and,

Whereas there is no pedestrian crossing point between Bridlewood and Creighton, and,

Whereas there is a direct relationship between vehicle speed and pedestrian fatality, and,

Whereas an engineered traffic calming solution is preferable and more effective than signs or flashing lights, and,

Whereas a city Transportation Master Plan study identifies Governors Road between Creighton and Bridlewood as a suitable location for bicycle lanes, and,

Whereas Governors Road is a historical roadway, being the first non aboriginal road constructed in Upper Canada,

We (the undersigned) request that the City of Hamilton take immediate steps to ensure safe driving, cycling and walking conditions on Governor’s Road, between Creighton and Bridlewood above and beyond posted crossing guards, flashing lights and signed school zone by,

• instituting physical traffic calming measures to effectively reduce the incidence of speeding vehicles i.e traffic medians, narrow lanes, roundabouts, as deemed appropriate to calm traffic
• initiate an Environmental Assessment process if required to make changes to the roadway in keeping with traffic calming goals
• install proper bicycle lane facilities and wide sidewalks to encourage active and safe routes to school
• create a pedestrian crossing at or near Governors and Huntingwood
• plant native vegetation on both sides of Governors Road where feasible to help create a comfortable pedestrian environment
• install an attractive gateway feature that pays homage to the historical significance of the road and alerts drivers to the school zone