Ontario's fleeting 1920s county highway system

[Andrew T.]

Does anyone know the story behind the coordinated system of county roads that came and went in Ontario in the 1920s?



The 1926 and 1927 Ontario highway maps have the gaps between provincial highways filled by a vast network of county roads with numbers in the 51 to 85 range, printed in blue.



Although these were county roads, the numbering was continuous across county lines and appeared to be provincially-imposed, with the lowest numbers in the southwest and the highest numbers in the east.

If this system was ever posted in the field at all, it lasted for only an eyeblink of time.  On the 1928 map, the numbers were gone.

[Andrew T.]

Here is a list of all the numbered county roads off the 1927 Ontario highway map (which may be viewed here).  Most of these later did time as provincial highways, though not always on a one-for-one basis:

51: Blenheim(?) to Barrie via Sarnia and Owen Sound; later mostly ON 40, 21, & 26.
52: Port Stanley to Singhampton via Walkerton; later ON 4.
53: West of Warwick to London; later ON 22.
54: Bothwell to east of Warwick; later ON 79.
55: Elginfield to east of Alliston via Harriston; later ON 23 & 89.
56: South of Tillsonburg to Orangeville via Stratford; portions later ON 19 & 9.
57: Amberley to Guelph; later ON 86.
58: Guelph(?) to Tobermory; portion later ON 6.
59: Kitchener to east of Alma; later ON 85.
60: Elmira to Midland; later ON 27.
61: Port Dover to Orangeville; later ON 24.
62: Cayuga to Cainsville; later ON 54.
63: Fort Erie to Niagara on the Lake via Chambers Corners; portion later ON 3.
64: East of Dunnville to south of Hamilton; later ON 20 & 53.
65: Oakville to west of Orangeville.
66: Newmarket to Beaverton; portion later ON 48.
67: Brampton to West Hill(?).
68: Scarborough to Bowmanville via Uxbridge in a U; portions later ON 48, 47, & 7A.
69: Sunderland to Midland; later ON 12.
70: Newcastle to Fenelon Falls(?); later ON 35.
71: Lindsay to Actinolite; later ON 7.
72: Peterborough to Foxborough.
73: Cobourg to Norwood; later ON 45.
74: Hastings to Cloyne(?) via Picton in a U; portion later ON 33 & 41.
75: Foxborough to Maynooth; later ON 62.
76: Belleville to Cloyne(?); later ON 37.
77: Marysville to west of Brockville; later ON 502 & 42.
78: Kingston to Ottawa.
79: Garanoque to east of Seelys Bay; later ON 32.
80: Brockville to Pembroke; later ON 29.
81: Morrisburg to Ottawa; later ON 31.
82: Metcalfe to east of St. Eugene.
83: Cornwall to Plantagenet.
84: Winchester to Glen Robertson; later ON 43.
85: Lancaster to Hawkesbury; later ON 34.

Again, I'm unsure if these were ever posted in the field, or if they were merely "paper highways" reflecting a grandiose plan for province-wide county collaboration that never panned out.

Either way, it's a shame that this system didn't take hold.  A network of county and regional roads with consistent signage and continuous cross-border numbering is something that Ontario sorely needs...especially now.

[andrepoiy]

I think in the age of Waze and digital maps, the idea of a consistent network of county/provincial highways no longer really is a priority

[LilianaUwU]

I think in the age of Waze and digital maps, the idea of a consistent network of county/provincial highways no longer really is a priority

To be fair, most people follow roads based on names rather than numbers, except in the case of long distances, and this has been a thing for long before digital maps were a thing.

[Andrew T.]

To be fair, most people follow roads based on names rather than numbers, except in the case of long distances, and this has been a thing for long before digital maps were a thing.

I can't speak for the world, but I always prefer to navigate by numbers over names, even for local driving.  Numbers are easier for me to pick out in the thicket of signage at intersections, easier to remember, and easier to pick out on maps.  The only thing preventing me from doing this is lackadaisical signage, which of course is epidemic for sub-provincial roads in Ontario.