Crescent Beach UBER/ Corry Kriticos photo

Oxford Hillside - Hill Slide

Slip slidin’ away
Slip slidin’ away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away

Slip Slidin' Away by Paul Simon, Greatest Hits Etc., 1977

If you drive in White Rock there are two things you need to know.  Never cruise around with less than a quarter tank of gas in your vehicle because if you head up one of the many hillside roads that measure 23 degrees in slope, there is a chance you may run out of fuel.  The other thing to realize is that in inclement weather or with a heavy long load, you should avoid Oxford Street hill like the plague. 

Oxford Street in the middle of White Rock heads up from Marine Drive at the beach and plateaus out at Thrift Ave. before ending at North Bluff Rd.  It has a 23% grade but what makes it exceptional is its elevation gain of over 85 metres in a 700 metre stretch.  It even has its own time trial bicycle hill climb race, the Oxford Hill Climb, that is held at the end of June (https://www.whiterockcity.ca/Calendar.aspx?EID=3768). You know it is steep when the sidewalk has large ridges in it to help people walking up the slope.  When it snows or is icy, the City of White Rock puts barricades up to stop people from heading down the hill and turning their vehicles into giant sleds.  The addition of traffic islands along the route have helped to reduce cars crashing into houses but it still happens all too often.

Unfortunately it is not only in winter that slip-sliding away on Oxford is a problem.  During summer when there is rain after long periods of hot and dry weather, the asphalt surface is slick with oil that has dripped off leaking vehicles or simply oozed up from the roadway.  While driving down this steep street can be tricky in the rain, heading up the hill when it's wet can result in the loss of traction, your vehicle stalling out, or even sliding back down Oxford.  Oxford Street resident Naomi Lockwood McKay contacted me with her concerns plus a number of photographs and a couple of videos showing vehicles slipping down Oxford Hill.  Her compilation tape that she hopes to play for White Rock Council shows 19 vehicles losing traction, crashing, or having to turn around. 

Search "Oxford Street crash White Rock" online to see images of the carnage and mayhem.

It is not like this is an unknown problem that is suddenly starting to happen.  Just like when it snows and Oxford Street  is closed by the City with barricades, Oxford hill should be closed after long hot dry periods when heavy rain is forecast.  That is a simple and cheap way to end some of the crashes and dangerous driving conditions that drivers experience.  There are plenty of other ways to go from uptown to Marine Drive that do not involve a long hill with a steep grade.  Unfortunately, White Rock is a tourist town that attracts people from all over who may not be aware of the dangers involved with navigating Oxford Street during a rainstorm like what happened here on August 15 where a month of rain fell in only one day.

There is another way for White Rock to deal with their steep streets by installing anti-skid surfaces onto the steep hills in their city.  Some of the most common types are as follows:

High-Friction Surface Treatment (HFST):  Involves applying a thin layer of high-friction aggregate and bonding agent to the road surface. This type of surfacing is highly effective in reducing skidding and is often used on high-speed roadways, intersections, steep hills and areas prone to hydroplaning.

Textured Surfaces:  Features patterns or grooves carved into the road pavement creating added traction for vehicles and pedestrians. These surfaces are commonly found on bridge decks, ramps, and pedestrian crossings.

Porous Asphalt:  Is designed with an open-graded structure that allows water to drain through the pavement, reducing the risk of hydroplaning and maintaining traction in wet conditions.

The township of Langley uses a HFST traction coating on steep hills, sharp corners and at intersections where slippage has been a problem in the past.  In Strawberry Heights a dangerous small hill leading onto 56 Ave. was coated with this product in an area plagued by crashes.  The difference was amazing, with my vehicle stopping so quickly (I had to test it out) that I was actually amazed.  The City of Delta applied porous asphalt on a section of 72 Ave. just west of 112 St. where vehicles headed to Hwy. 91 were always rear-ending each other.  I first thought this strange asphalt was for noise abatement as the open surface is very quiet to drive on.  It greatly improves traction allowing for quick stopping and no skidding even in the rain. 

The City of White Rock should investigate using any or all of these traction enhancements on Oxford Street plus all of the other 23 percent grade streets across the hillside.  They obviously have a safety problem on these streets and should take the necessary steps to stop the problem and improve public safety.  Surrey is also a scofflaw at ignoring this problem and not taking necessary steps to deal with sections of roads where vehicles are often crashing due to steep and slippery roads.  Close to home, 24 Ave next to the Crescent Park elementary is a steep hill right before the traffic light where I have seen a three car pileup and other accidents.  The west end of 16 Ave. and Ocean Park Road is another nasty corner with a ditch that acts like a car magnet.  Another spot is the north end of 140 St. where the hillside meets Crescent Road.  I could literally go on for hours about these dangerous hilly stretches.

If Delta and Langley Township can use anti-skid coatings on their problem roads, there is no reason why White Rock, and especially the big city of Surrey cannot use these products for known dangerous roadways, corners and intersections.  I'm sure that the residents of White Rock who have watched cars slipping backwards down Oxford hill or crashing into their yards and houses would love to see something done about this problem.  The folks who live on Oxford Street need to start filming the action when it rains and posting the videos on the local community Facebook pages or sharing them with the media.  It will take a concerted effort by the public to make White Rock City Hall address this dangerous situation that they have allowed to exist for far too long.  Improving traction will increase safety and decrease crashes, it's just that simple.

Naturally yours,

Don PItcairn