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Bradford resident launches petition for speed bumps in Summerlyn

'We can’t police it ourselves and the amount of near-death close calls to adults and children is not acceptable,' says frustrated resident

Bradford resident Joe Giordano says he’s fed up with the speeding he witnesses on his street in the Summerlyn Village subdivision and is calling on the town to take immediate action in an online petition that has already received 271 signatures from area residents.

Giordano and his neighbours say they want speed bumps installed for the safety of the community. He says he and his neighbours have almost been T-boned on numerous occasions and honked at by aggressive drivers who use Blue Dasher Boulevard as a way to bypass major routes like Holland Street and Line 8.

“Some people call it Blur Dasher Speedway or Blue Danger,” he said.

Currently, the only speed bumps installed in Summerlyn Village are on Summerlyn Trail from Line 8 to Tigertail (two sets), and none on Blue Dasher. There are no stop signs along Blue Dasher, which extends from Langford Boulevard to Melbourne Drive, but there are roundabouts at West Park Avenue, Summerlyn Trail and Langford Boulevard.

It was last week’s crash on Blue Dasher Boulevard, involving a 21-year-old impaired driver whose vehicle hit a parked car and flipped onto its roof, that prompted the petition. 

“The community gathered ... and we all said enough is enough. We pay higher tax rates than many other communities and we expect the city to provide us with these tools to deliver a better living environment,” said Giordano. 

“We have all witnessed drag-like racing for three years and more. We can’t police it ourselves and the amount of near-death close calls to adults and children is not acceptable.”

Just down the street from Giordano is where fellow concerned resident Rick Turner lives with his young family. He has been lobbying council to have traffic-calming measures implemented on the street for years.

Turner was one of the first at the scene of the impaired driving crash last week, which occurred at the end of his driveway.

“I heard a noise and went to investigate and that’s when I saw a flipped car at the end of my driveway,” he said.

Turner usually parks his truck sideways across his driveway, where his children often play, to act as a barrier to the road, in fear of incidents like this happening.

“My truck can be replaced; my kids can’t,” he said. “Our kids want to play outside, and we have to use our vehicles to block off driveways, parents have to be under supervision and we all have installed camera systems because of these problems.”

Giordano sent an email to the town’s traffic committee regarding the petition, which was read in the committee’s open forum portion of a meeting Wednesday night.

Last year, the town unveiled its speed bump pilot project, having speed cushions installed at the “worst” spots in town for speeding, according to recorded data from the traffic committee.

Paul Dubniak, the town’s transportation technologist, told BradfordToday the town conducts traffic counts at requested locations throughout the warmer months (April to November) over a 24/7 period, many of which are undertaken by the transportation department as a result of resident concern.

Blue Dasher made the town’s top 20 list three times for most areas of speed, noted South Simcoe police Staff Sgt. David Phillips at the town’s traffic committee meeting Wednesday, with 10 per cent of the traffic going faster than 60 km/h.

“That’s certainly of interest,” he said but was quick to point out speeding occurs on every street.

“I am sure I could walk down any street and see a similar report. It happens in front of everyone’s house, everywhere,” he said.

Last year, the town launched a “Slow Down” sign campaign, with bright yellow signs to encourage motorists to slow down in residential neighbourhoods. Turner says he and the rest of his neighbours all had signs put up, but it hasn’t been much help.

Turner knows speed bumps won’t solve all the problems, but believes they will help reduce the number of incidents and deter speeders from using the street as a bypass.

South Simcoe police Sgt. Steve Black told BradfordToday officers are out 24/7 on speed patrol, but can’t be on every street at all times, and that they appreciate input from the public so they know where to monitor speeding activity.

Turner will be running for a seat on council this fall in the municipal election and says one of his campaign points is on traffic-calming measures for Blue Dasher and Summerlyn Village.

“This has been an ongoing issue since the last time I ran,” he said. “We need to do something now. I hate speed bumps like everybody else, but if it’s protecting the community, our property, our children, it’s quite important.”

In a March meeting of council discussing the speed bump pilot project, Coun. Gary Lamb, who chairs the Community and Traffic Safety Committee, suggested many who want speed bumps on their streets should be careful what they wish for, as it might not be the best solution in every instance.

“We went to data because every ward has an issue or a perceived issue,” he said. “I’ve had many people say to me, ‘What are you putting those bumps in for?’ Ninety per cent of the people don’t need them. But it’s for the 10 per cent that do.”

Putting more police officers on certain streets is not an option, as they could be better served in other parts of town, Lamb said, where a larger proportion of drivers are speeding in excess of 16 km/h over the limit.

Phillips reminded last week's impaired incident on Blue Dasher was a separate event he doesn’t want to see lumped together with the speeding issue.

“Do I think it’s Blue Dasher related? No, I don’t. I think that could have happened anywhere. We have had similar incidents in other neighbourhood streets,” he said. “When the driver’s impaired, speed bumps aren’t going to fix that.

“There is obviously something we can do to make it better, but how we are going to do it on the entire street, I don’t know.”

Whether Blue Dasher will get speed bumps in the future remains to be seen, but in the meantime, Turner says he has requested more “Slow Down” signs from the town for the homes on Blue Dasher and has requested the large “Slow Down” text be painted across the road in yellow.

— With files from Patrick Bales


Natasha Philpott

About the Author: Natasha Philpott

Natasha is the Editor for BradfordToday and InnisfilToday. She graduated from the Media Studies program at The University of Guelph-Humber. She lives in Bradford with her husband, two boys and two cats.
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