Five (5) temporary speed humps are being installed week of June 23rd on Kingscross Drive. This is a pilot project to determine effectiveness of this traffic calming measure. They will be removed prior to winter maintenance period which is about November. In spring 2015 there will be another report from Staff to Council recommending a permanent solution utilizing data and experience from the pilot and recommendations from a consultant.
This initiative is not universally welcomed; in fact a number of residents on both Kingscross Drive and the ancilliary streets (i.e. those which feed into Kingscross) have expressed opposition. The initiative was triggered by petition from residents living on Kingscross in fall 2013; nearly 70% agreed that speeding was a problem, that some form of traffic calming was desired and that they would accept speed humps if they were the only option. The petition was not the deciding factor to install the humps; rather it triggered staff to investigate. First report to Council was made October 7, 2013 which you can read here; summaries of deputations expressing different viewpoints were made by some residents can be read here in the minutes from that meeting. In a subsequent report on Oct. 21 an immediate intervention of two stop signs was recommended. And on June 9, 2014 a report was tabled recommending speed hump installation on a temporary basis as a pilot.
This is a tough issue. As Staff reviews in their report there isn’t the traffic volumes on the street which are normally in place for street calming. But, that does not discount the risk of speeding traffic for pedestrian safety.
From the many conversations I have had this past week with those opposing the speed humps I hear that they do not believe there is a safety issue; there is also lack of understanding about the characteristics of the speed humps. The ones being installed are not sharp, high ones which are sometimes experienced in parking lots. The ones being installed are designed for traversing at 40 km; they feature a flat top. Not only will the pilot give us information as to whether frequency of speeding cars changes but it will also allow people to experience the impact of having them. (Clearly, the reality may be worse or better than expectation.)
At this point in the process I can see that there needs to be improvement in how we engage the community. I don’t know the answer now but there needs to be a better way.
Debbie
One very important process in engaging the community is to disclose and publish correct information.
Thank you
Hello Pat, I totally agree that correct information is critical for engagement. Hence, I do consider it to be unfortunate that you think my comment stating that 70% of occupied houses would accept speed humps if it was the only solution is incorrect. I think it can be challenged as not being as thorough & complete as it might have been. To be more complete in my information I should have added that the petition does show that >90% of occupied houses on Kingscross Drive thought that there was excessive speed and that there should be traffic calming.