Safety Concerns at Hammond Road Multi-Use Path Intersection

A newly constructed multi-use path (MUP) along Hammond Road in Maple Ridge has sparked significant safety concerns, particularly at its intersection with 203rd Street. Members of the HUB Cycling Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows committee have flagged this area as a potentially hazardous conflict zone.

The MUP, which runs east-west along Hammond Road from the West Coast Express station to the 203rd Street intersection, was completed and opened in early 2024. We took a first look at this new infrastructure and put out a preliminary blog post highlighting its features. Since then, committee members and other road users have observed safety issues at the 203rd Street intersection, which warrant urgent attention.

The Intersection Setup

This intersection presents a combination of features that contribute to a potentially dangerous conflict zone for non-motorized road users.

As illustrated in the Google Maps snapshot below, the intersection sits at Hammond Road and 203rd Street, a busy area with high vehicle traffic volumes connecting to the Golden Ears Bridge. The northwest corner, where a slip lane facilitates right turns at higher speeds off of 203rd west onto Hammond Road, is the primary problem area. (A slip lane is a designated area for vehicles to make right turns more easily while separating turning traffic from through traffic.)

Key features contributing to the safety risks:

• Obstructed Sightlines: A building positioned at the corner where the crosswalk meets the slip lane blocks visibility for drivers and non-motorized users approaching the MUP.
• Overgrown Vegetation: Bushes at the same corner further obscure sightlines, compounding the visibility issues.
• Nearby Elementary School: Hammond Elementary is located directly across from 203rd Street, meaning the intersection is frequently used by young, inexperienced children who may be unaware of the potential hazards.
• Counter-Flow Design: The MUP runs against the flow of vehicle traffic. Drivers are conditioned to expect traffic from their left, but MUP users approach from the right.

The image below highlight these salient features of this intersection.

Multi-use path (dotted blue line) along Hammond toward Hammond/203rd St intersection. Note the building making the path invisible to drivers. 

The Danger

When turning right at a major intersection, drivers typically glance briefly to the right for pedestrians before focusing on oncoming traffic from the left. At this intersection, the building and vegetation block drivers’ view of the MUP, rendering it virtually invisible to them as they enter the slip lane.

Slip lane on 20 St. entering Hammond. Notice view of multi-use path completely blocked by building and bushes 

Similarly, fast coming vehicles entering the slip lane with drivers focused in a different direction are also invisible to non-motorized road users travelling on the MUP toward the intersection.

Approach to 203 St/Hammond crosswalk from multi-use path. Fast oncoming vehicles entering slip lane invisible due to building on left.

This creates a significant risk for MUP users, particularly those on bicycles, e-scooters, or mobility devices, who often travel faster than pedestrians. The combination of:

• Distracted Driver Attention
• Faster MUP Users
• Inexperienced Road Users (e.g., children)

results in a conflict zone where accidents are likely to occur.

Experienced riders may recognize and avoid these risks, but elementary school students and other less familiar users may not.

Engagement with City Officials

The Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows HUB local committee has repeatedly communicated these safety concerns to city officials through emails, along with recommendations on how to mitigate the potential danger. An on-site meeting was also arranged with the Manager of Transportation so that the situation could be assessed first-hand.

The city’s responses, however, have been inadequate:

• Design Guidelines: The city asserts the intersection meets design standards.
• “Share the Road” Signage: While a sign was installed to alert drivers, it fails to address the specific risks posed by fast-moving MUP users approaching the slip lane (see below).
• Vegetation Trimming: Although the city promised to trim the bushes, this has yet to occur. Even if completed, the building remains the larger obstacle to visibility.

A “Share the Road” sign was installed to alert drivers. Looking at the sign installed, it is not obvious how it would alert drivers. While the sign would remind drivers that cyclists are riding southbound along 203rd in the same direction as the drivers, there is nothing which would indicate the presence of fast moving non-motorized road users approaching the slip lane.

Installed sign – this does not alert the driver entering the slip lane that there may be non-motorized users approaching the slip lane from their right. This sign alerts drivers that cyclists may be continuing south across 203rd and so the driver entering the slip lane should yield to that cyclist. 

To escalate our concerns, we submitted a formal document to City Council, including a video showing actual scenarios and driver behaviors taken at the intersection.