Councillors in Bradford West Gwillimbury are introducing traffic calming measures they hope will keep neighbourhoods safe.
“We’re in a situation where now some of the residents are getting desperate and scared for their kids,” says Councillor Ron Orr.
The Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury just installed traffic calming measures, called bollards, anchored right in the middle of the street. The speed limit is posted on the bollard.
“Prior to them going up, the speed was atrocious,” says resident Robyn Nolte. “Nobody followed the limits. They’ve been up for about a week and everybody is slow.”
“They are working to an extent,” says another resident Ted Usher. “Some people still fly through, and other cars are slowing down."
The bollards have been posted in three locations: on Line 7 at the western edge of Bond Head, on Northgate Drive between Longview Drive and Fox Run Lane, and on West Park Avenue between Hollard Street West and Huron Lane.
The town says drivers can’t miss the speed limit posted in the middle of the street, but some residents say more drastic action is required.
“I’d like to see speed bumps, maybe a couple in-between, or add another stop sign somewhere,” says Bradford resident Martin Michelizzi.
The town says speed bumps sometimes create other problems.
“Sometimes they slow people down too much, they do cause traffic issues with people slamming on their brakes. They are a little bit hard on the vehicles themselves,” says Mayor Rob Keffer.
Council will review the results from the traffic calming pilot project in the fall. If the results are deemed positive more signs may be installed.
