In the fall of 2025 the Broughdale Community Association contacted Gorski Consulting with respect to concerns they had over traffic safety in their community particularly on Richmond Street in the area of University Drive and Epworth Ave in London, Ontario. It was described as a “dangerous place” and, with the building of a new 780-unit student residence it was believed that the area would become busier and even more dangerous. Subsequent to this initial notification it was also learned that a private developer was intending to build a 21-story apartment building at south-east quadrant of Richmond and Epworth, across the street from the student residence. Initially the Community Association proposed that a traffic signal at the intersection of Richmond and Epworth might alleviate some of the safety concerns. However representatives from the City of London Transportation Department indicated such a signal would be too close to the present signalized intersection of Richmond and University Drive. Because of these problems the Broughdale Community Association asked whether Gorski Consulting could conduct a traffic study and provide advice as to what options might improve traffic safety in the area. These are the circumstances which led Gorski Consulting to proceed with a traffic study.
General Characteristics of Richmond Street At Epworth Ave
The area of concern is located in the north-west of London, Ontario. Richmond Street is a busy arterial roadway which runs north-south generally between London’s downtown up to its northern suburbs where it eventually turns into Highway 4 which is the main highway running north near the west shore of Lake Huron and toward Georgian Bay in Mid-Western Ontario. Epworth Ave is a short roadway that runs for approximately half a kilometre, east-west and it connects to the intersection of Richmond at its west terminus. Epworth is the roadway that many students at Kings University College would take to transition with the larger campus of Western University located to the west. A student transportation bus is also provided by Kings College to transport students along Epworth back and forth with Western University.
The image below provides a general view of the community and the subject area of concern.
A closer view of the Richmond-Epworth intersection is shown in the Googlemaps view below. Descriptions in orange text show the location of the student residence and the proposed apartment tower. There is no infrastructure for cyclists along Richmond and Epworth however there been a new pedestrian and/or cycling path created east of University Drive which connects to University Crescent and toward Kings College, as shown in the image below.
Where Epworth Ave intersects with Richmond Street there is a fourth leg of the intersection extending westward which is named Tower Lane. Tower Lane travels only about 185 metres where it comes to a dead end. On the west side of the dead end is a large parking lot operated by Western University.
Four, 4-storey student-rental apartments presently exist on the land where the proposed apartment tower is to be built at the south-east quadrant of Richmond and Epworth. A view of one of these apartment buildings is shown in the image below, taken looking westward along Epworth Ave. The construction of the student residence can be seen in the background.
on the west side of Richmond Street can be seen in the background.
At the extreme left of the above image one can note the existence of a driveway which services the rear of the four buildings.
The next image shows the same rental building but looking south from the intersection of Richmond and Epworth. The signalized intersection of Richmond and University Drive can be seen in the background.
A description of the proposed apartment tower was contained in a written proposal to City of London staff on behalf of the owner, KAP Holdings Inc. A depiction of the tower was contained in the report and is shown below.
At present the Western University student residence building is in the process of being built. A view of the progress on this construction is shown in the image below, taken on October 16, 2025.
Upon a visit to the site on October 29, 2025 it was observed that a new billboard was posted on the grounds of the KAP Holdings Inc. property, as shown below.
Gorski Consulting Traffic Study
While an initial meeting was arranged with the Broughdale Community Association for the morning of October 2, 2025 Gorski Consulting had already made plans to attend the site in late September, at a time when it was unknown what the safety concerns were with respect to the area. Independent of the Community Association concerns Gorski Consulting observed that a substantial volume of motor vehicle traffic was making turns at the intersection of Richmond and Epworth. Very little traffic was seen turning in and out of the Tower Lane roadway which contains a dead-end a short distance west of the intersection. At this time it was decided that the focus of the traffic study would be at the intersection of Richmond and Epworth, pending what concerns might be raised at the subsequent meeting. Eventually, four, two-hour video sessions were conducted at this intersection. The dates and times of these sessions are noted below:
September 25, 1510 to 1710 hours
September 26, 0730 to 0930 hours
October 2, 1700 to 1900 hours
October 3, 1130 to 1330 hours
In most instances six video cameras were used and these were synchronized. The video was subsequently transferred to video-editting software (Adobe Premiere) and projects were created for each video session. Analysis of these video projects led to the creation of Excel spreadsheets outlining the turning motions of motor vehicles at the intersection. The motions of cyclists and micro-mobility traffic units were also documented. During a second viewing of the projects the motions of pedestrians were documented in separate spreadsheets.
Results from this analysis indicate the large number of motor vehicles turning at the Epworth intersection with Richmond. The total hourly turning motions for each of the 8 hours of observation are noted below:
September 25, 1510 to 1710 hours = 292 motor vehicle turning motions
September 25, 1610 to 1710 hours = 351 motor vehicle turning motions
September 26, 0730 to 0830 hours = 250 motor vehicle turning motions
September 26, 0830 to 0930 hours = 220 motor vehicle turning motions
October 2, 1700 to 1800 hours = 323 motor vehicle turning motions
October 2, 1800 to 1900 hours = 244 motor vehicle turning motions
October 3, 1130 to 1230 hours = 236 motor vehicle turning motions
October 3, 1230 to 1330 hours = 226 motor vehicle turning motions
Pedestrians were only documented if they crossed either of the two roadways. It was reasoned that pedestrians who passed through while walking on a sidewalk should not be a primary safety concern as the possibility of their interaction with motor vehicles, cyclists and micro-mobility units would be minimal. The volumes of documented pedestrians crossing the roadways at the Richmond and Epworth intersection for each hour of observation are noted below:
September 25, 1510 to 1710 hours = 61 roadway crossing motions
September 25, 1610 to 1710 hours = 101 roadway crossing motions
September 26, 0730 to 0830 hours = 27 roadway crossing motions
September 26, 0830 to 0930 hours = 29 roadway crossing motions
October 2, 1700 to 1800 hours = 78 roadway crossing motions
October 2, 1800 to 1900 hours = 80 roadway crossing motions
October 3, 1130 to 1230 hours = 50 roadway crossing motions
October 3, 1230 to 1330 hours = 68 roadway crossing motions
The volume of cyclists and micro-mobility units at the intersection can be described as low, as summarized below:
September 25, 1510 to 1710 hours = 2 cyclists, 1 e-scooter
September 25, 1610 to 1710 hours = 8 cyclists, 1 e-scooter
September 26, 0730 to 0830 hours = 2 cyclists
September 26, 0830 to 0930 hours = 3 cyclists
October 2, 1700 to 1800 hours = 3 cyclists
October 2, 1800 to 1900 hours = 5 cyclists
October 3, 1130 to 1230 hours = 8 cyclists, 1 mobility-assist scooter
October 3, 1230 to 1330 hours = 6 cyclists, 1 e-scooter
At present no documentation of through traffic has been made along Richmond Street because of the very large motor vehicle volumes. Current traffic volume data obtained from the City of London indicates that Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) on Richmond Street is approximately 27,000 vehicles south of Epworth and about 28,000 vehicles north of Epworth. The AADT for Epworth Ave is listed at 5,000 vehicles.
In a large percentage of time southbound Richmond Street has been observed to contain stopped or crawling vehicles in the vicinity of the Epworth intersection. This occurs when the traffic signal at University Drive turns red and a queue of motor vehicle traffic begins to build northward, often as far as Mayfield Drive which is over 200 metres north of University Drive. When southbound traffic is stopped this provides the beneficial opportunity for westbound vehicles on Epworth to enter Richmond. Additionally, when the traffic signal turns red at the University Drive intersection this stops the northbound traffic flow and provides the opportunity for vehicles on Epworth to enter onto Richmond. If the traffic signal at the University Drive intersection did not exist it is likely that there would be a steady, mostly uninterrupted, flow of traffic on Richmond making it difficult for vehicles on Epworth to enter Richmond. However problems develop whenever a large number of vehicles attempt to make turns at any unsignalized intersection and the Epworth intersection is no exception.
The video data also showed that many southbound drivers on Richmond were making left turns to travel eastbound on Epworth. At times this could not be accomplished without delay and this caused the traffic in the southbound passing lane to come to a halt behind the left-turning vehicle. This was a common inefficiency which reduced traffic flow as vehicles could only continue southward using the southbound curb lane.
Pedestrians were vulnerable when they crossed Epworth travelling either southbound or northbound because of the many vehicles coming in and out of Epworth. However more pedestrians were observed crossing Tower Lane and this was beneficial because there were very few vehicles entering and exiting that portion of the intersection. Throughout the 8 hours of observation 294 pedestrians were observed crossing Tower Lane while only 184 pedestrians were observed crossing Epworth. Yet, in the eight hours of observation, of the total 2142 vehicles that were observed making turns at the four-legs of the Richmond-Epworth intersection, only 104 vehicles were observed turning in and out of Tower Lane. Thus there were many more pedestrians crossing Tower Lane than there were motor vehicles entering or exiting Tower Lane. This beneficial result has to be viewed with caution once the student residence is built to see if this pattern is changed as more motor vehicles may begin to use Tower lane from the residence.
Truck traffic is particularly important. If delivery vehicles begin to use Tower Lane to service the new student residence this could pose a potential danger to pedestrians crossing Tower Lane. The importance of this potential safety problem cannot be overstated. It has been known that heavy trucks have high front ends and drivers are challenged to see objects close to the left and right front because the visibility obstructions from mirrors and roof pillars. At the same time if truck drivers need to make a turn onto heavy traffic on Richmond Street their attention will be toward scanning for traffic on Richmond and not on the presence of pedestrians. Many pedestrians have sustained serious injury or have been killed in this type of scenario when at turning truck runs over a pedestrian or cyclist or other micro-mobility unit.
With respect to cyclists the Richmond-Epworth site poses a threat because there is no infrastructure for their safe travel. Furthermore, although only 37 cyclists were observed during the 8 hours of observation, a couple incidents occurred which suggest there could be greater problems as cyclist volumes rise. In one instance a westbound driver made a right turn from Epworth to travel northbound on Richmond and this was done just as a northbound cyclist was travelling through the intersection.
In a second instance which occurred on September 25, a northbound cyclist was riding a gas-powered bicycle northbound on the east sidewalk of Richmond and he crossed the Epworth Ave intersection at a very high speed. Although cameras were not set up to capture his precise speed it is estimated his speed was in the range of 45 km/h. Such a speed is clearly dangerous to the cyclist but also to vulnerable pedestrians. This same cyclist was observed approximately 35 minutes later, returning southbound on the east sidewalk of Richmond, again at a very high speed.
As mentioned earlier a path has been constructed near University Drive which leads from the east roadside and connects with University Crescent. This route could take pedestrians and cyclists back and forth to Kings College thus avoiding the busy area around the Epworth intersection. The Googlemaps view below shows the general position of the path.
A view of this path is shown below.
Gorski Consulting examined this area for the first time on October 29th at approximately 1030 hours. The path and University Crescent were generally deserted. This may be a function of the mid-day which might not attract cyclist and pedestrian travel. It may also be a function of the late season for cyclist travel. However this needs to be studied further.
Cyclists and pedestrians focus on the shortest and convenient travel distances when selecting a route. It has been noted that a large number of pedestrians travel on Epworth Ave and possibly not along the path connecting University Crescent. One observation is that the connection between University Crescent leading to Kings College is restricted by a fence which narrows the passage to single pedestrians. This would be prohibitive to cyclist travel. This narrowed passage may have been created on purpose to prevent cyclist usage and this needs further study. However it could be one of the reasons why cyclists might not use this route.
The report submitted for KAP Holdings Inc. to City of London staff indicated that the new apartment tower would contain 57 parking spaces for motor vehicles, 12 short-term spaces for bicycles and 108 long-term bicycle parking spaces. Our examination of the parking lot at the present, 4-apartment complex suggests there are 8 parking spaces for each of the 4 buildings or a total 32 parking spaces.
There is no indication on the KAP Holdings Inc. property if there are any bicycle storage areas, perhaps inside the buildings.
The Kap Holdings Inc. proposal appears to offer substantial storage/parking for bicycles. About twice as many as for motor vehicle parking. What is not clear is how bicyclists will be expected to navigate the area safely. As indicated earlier, there is no infrastructure on either Richmond or Epworth to support cyclists. In fact, riding adjacent to the travel lanes of Richmond Street would be, in the view of Gorski Consulting, unacceptably hazardous. This may be one of the reasons why so few cyclists were observed in the 8 hours of video documentation. While a path has been created south of the KAP property which connects Richmond and University Crescent, there is no connection between the KAP property and that path. And there is nothing shown in the proposed plans for the apartment tower that indicates there will be a connection with the newly created path. This poses a potential safety problem if the number of cyclists is increased in proportion to the increased numbers of parking spaces at the proposed apartment tower.
There is also no information about what Western University has arranged to provide safe cycling in the vicinity of the student residence. At 780 units the residence would have over six times the number of units as the Kap Holdings apartment tower. Thus there is the potential for creating a large impact on travel near the Richmond and Epworth area. There is no parking lot near the student residence so it is not clear how many motor vehicles might be attracted by the residence and where those motor vehicles would be parked. It needs to be determined to what degree traffic on the low volume Tower Lane might be increased by the presence of the student residence. Further information needs to be obtained about how many additional cyclists might be attracted and what routes they might take. If cyclists are attracted to ride onto Tower Lane and then into the Richmond-Epworth intersection this could be a hazardous result if cyclists attempted to cross Richmond in heavy traffic.
It must also be recognized that the Gorski Consulting traffic study has gathered motion data at peak periods of traffic volume but that may not be the most important matter to consider when evaluating traffic safety. The purpose of the 8 hours of video was to explore the potential need for a traffic signal at the Richmond-Epworth intersection. This analysis would generally examine the traffic volume and speeds of vehicles. And this analysis is typically an exploration of the transportation efficiency of the intersection and not necessarily its safety. When traffic is clogged up at the intersection vehicles begin to travel slowly or come to a halt. In such conditions safety is generally improved because there is little opportunity to develop higher speeds and therefore higher severities of collisions. So examining the functioning of the Richmond-Epworth intersection at times of peak traffic volume artificially creates the impression that safety problems are of minor consequence. However collision severity potentially increases with higher vehicle speeds and those speeds generally occur as traffic volume decreases. So an important addition to the study would require an examination of traffic during off-peak hours when traffic volume is reduced and speeds are increased.
An example of the potential safety problems that could exist is demonstrated by a collision that occurred at approximately 0230 hours on Thursday, September 12, 2024 on Richmond Street just south of University Drive. It was reported that two vehicles collided and one of them subsequently rode on the west roadside of Richmond and struck a hydro pole. During these events a 29-year-old male pedestrian was struck and sustained life-threatening injuries. The pedestrian was subsequently released from hospital about 4 weeks later. No assistance was provided by investigating police as to how the collision occurred. Given the vehicle rest positions visible in news media photographs it is likely that a fast-moving, northbound vehicle entered the southbound lanes of Richmond and struck a southbound vehicle before colliding with the pedestrian and hydro pole. What is important to note here is that the collision occurred early in the morning when traffic volume would be low and pedestrian volume would also be low. If the motor vehicle traffic volume was high and congested it is less likely that a vehicle would reach high speeds and collision severity would generally be less. So it is important to examine the Richmond-Epworth intersection at a time when traffic volumes are low and observations of vehicle speeds can be made and evaluated.
At present Gorski Consulting has not been provided with a collision history of the area. London City Police have been contacted and such a history may soon be available. Upon receipt of this information further comment can be made about the safety of the intersection and an opinion can be expressed about possible remedies.
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