Quesnel city council has allocated $9,000 for the installation of two traffic-calming devices.
Every year, the city receives requests from residents for locations to install traffic-calming devices.
In the past year, the locations suggested included:
• Allard Street at two separate locations, one near Hawk Street and another midway between Abbott Drive and Hawk Street.
• Abbot Drive near Bettcher Street
• Baker Drive at Harper Avenue
• Elliott Street at Early Avenue
Certain guidelines are used by the city to determine if a specific location is suitable for traffic-calming devices.
These include the location’s proximity to playground and school zones, if a residential street has long stretches without sidewalks or traffic control and if pedestrian safety is a concern.
The locations above each fit at least one criteria, mostly causing concern for pedestrian safety.
Although the devices are suitable for all locations, director of public works and engineering, Ken Coombs had concerns about installing them on Abbott Drive.
“The asphalt on Abbott Dr. is
in very poor condition and
should be considered for a major rebuild in the near future,” he explained.
“Installing a traffic calming device at this point in time would result in replacing it in the near future.”
Coombs also explained why devices on Elliott Street could cause more trouble than help.
“Elliott Street is used by empty logging trucks extensively and during all hours of the night,” he said.
“Installing a speed bump on Elliott Street would be the source of many complaints from the truckers and local residents as the bunks and trailers make a lot of noise going over them.”
According to the report by Coombs, the traffic-calming devices, part of the 2013 Capital Works Program, are installed “to provide a safe community for the residents of Quesnel.”
Each year, the city reviews these requests to decide which locations are most suited to the traffic-calming devices.
Although Coombs said $9,000 seems like a lot of money for only two devices, he explained there are many costs associated with the devices.
“There is quite a bit of signage required for the devices,” he said.
Coombs recommended council approve the installation of the traffic-calming devices on Allard Street, one between Abbott Drive and Hawk Street and the second on the south side of the Hawk Street intersection.
Traffic-calming devices differ from speed bumps in several ways.
They are wider and are usually placed in residential areas, whereas speed bumps are mostly utilized in parking lots.
Traffic calming devices also slow traffic more effectively than speed bumps, as the narrow structure of speed bumps allow vehicles to drive over them at fast speeds
without affecting the car or passengers.
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