Islanders Know ‘The Hill’ Offers Speedy Trip to Town, Long Climb Home
By Jessica Delaney

The Grand Hill on Cadotte Avenue causes walkers to pause, bikers to walk, and even horses to stop for a breather.

It has always had many different names: Grand Hill, Grand Boulevard, Lilac Lane, and, now officially, Cadotte Avenue. But one thing is for certain: The hill leading from downtown up to Harrisonville is definitely a grand pain.

For Island residents it means a quick and speedy journey down to town, but a long, difficult path returning home. Whether on bike or merely walking, the hill has developed almost a personality of its own. It is long enough and steep enough that even carriage horses have to stop halfway up to rest and recoup. Many bikers have to hop off and push bikes up the steepest part of the hill.

Some residents have even developed a sense of humor regarding the hill. Jokes Candy Smith, the owner of Harrisonville General Store: “Getting up the hill is hard, but we don’t have many heart attacks because our bodies are in shape.”

That tends to be the general thought about the hill: Although it is difficult, at least it provides good exercise.

“You never, ever, ever, ever get used to the hills,” said Anne St. Onge, who has lived in Harrisonville since 1985. “The only difference is some days it’s worse than others. But it keeps you healthy, it really does.”

Many Harrisonville residents look forward to the winter season, when snowmobiles become useable once more, and thus the hill loses a good part of its power. During the winter season, the traffic on the street slows down as well, which helps reduce the number of accidents.

In addition to being difficult to climb, the Cadotte Avenue hill is a dangerous area of island geography. A bike heading down the hill can pick up significant speed, sometimes more than 30 miles an hour. According to police Lieutenant Pete Komblevitz, the greatest danger on the hill is bikers going too fast. The city imposes a 20 mile-per-hour speed limit, winter and summer.

“Most accidents are single bikes and reckless operation,” notes Lt. Komblevitz. “Rarely are there collisions. People go down the hill and then fall at the bottom.”

Because Cadotte Avenue is such a wide road, there isn’t often congestion in the middle, like there are on downtown streets and along the lake shore. Therefore it isn’t difficult to maneuver around carriages, pedestrians, and other bikers, unless one is going too fast and simply cannot stop.

According to Lt. Komblevitz, the majority of accidents are caused by tourists and summer workers, who don’t necessarily realize how fast a bike can go, and who don’t have the skill levels to ride a fast bike. Also, some tourists don’t realize that many rental bikes have only coaster breaks, operated by the pedals, and do not have hand breaks.

Candy Smith agreed that the greatest problem is irresponsible riding. Although she recognizes that it’s easier to get down the hill than to go up, she emphasized the safety concerns.

“Many people don’t know that there’s danger in falling off a bike or running into a lamppost,” she said. “You need to stay on your own side for safety reasons.”

Ms. St. Onge had a bad experience with unsafe riders on the hill. When her son was young, he was hit from behind, fell off his bike, and ended up with a slight concussion.

She hasn’t seen many accidents, but she says she sees lots of potential for them.

“People do stupid things, like riding no-handed, riding double, or people crossing the street and not looking,” said Ms. St. Onge.

The police make a special effort to protect the area and reduce accidents. Though police can’t really ticket a biker for speeding, they can issue a citation for reckless operation.

“If people are riding willful and wanton, if it’s deliberate, we’ll lay paper on them, give them a little something to think about,” said Lt. Komblevitz.

Reckless speed and operation is a civil infraction and includes a $110 fine.

The hill brings other difficulties for residents as well. Transporting groceries, always difficult on an island, becomes an all-day affair for those living up the hill. After groceries are bought, they must be put in boxes, loaded onto a dray, and then carted up.

For Mrs. Smith at the General Store, the process can be even more complicated. In the summer she uses the ferry and a dray to receive supplies, in the winter she uses the airplane and a dray.

Even with all of the inconveniences and occasional dangers presented by the Grand Hill, residents in general believe that the payoff is worth it. Because Harrisonville is located at a distance from downtown, and up a difficult hill, it is much less trafficked than the rest of the Island, and more quiet and peaceful.

Oftentimes, the key to getting up the hill is a positive attitude. Instead of thinking of how difficult and tiring it can be, one needs to focus on how healthy it is: An instant provider of exercise. And besides all that, there is always the peace and quiet that can be reached at the top.