Bradford will be taking part in a new speed cushion pilot project next year, as recommended by the Traffic and Safety Committee earlier last month.
The Traffic Committee has endorsed the 12-month pilot project in an effort to address speeding issues throughout town.
Residents in the potential areas of the cushions will be surveyed to see if they are in favour of having them set up or not.
Staff has recommended temporary cushions be used for the program that can remain installed year-round. The report suggests it will give the town more flexibility and provide a consistent uniform shape for vehicles travelling over them. If the cushions start to wear, asphalt cushions can be installed at a later date.
The recommended cushion length is 3.2m, with longer cushions available for high-speed vehicles. The preferred spacing is 50-100 metres apart. Traffic counts will be conducted before and after installation.
Signage for the cushions would be required to warn drivers of the vertical deflection.
Each set of cushions cost anywhere from $5,400-$7,200 depending on length and width, plus the cost of signage.
If the cushions were to be removed in the winter, an additional $2,000 in labour and vehicle fees would be required. The pilot project would be monitored by staff.
Through the budget, it would cost $65,000 in material to cover the extreme segments of the road but could be reduced if shorter pieces were selected.
In Tuesday night's meeting of council, councillors voted to approve the following locations be installed with traffic cushions:
- Miller Park Avenue - West Park Avenue to Sutherland Avenue
- Summerlyn Trail - Tigertail Crescent (north) to Tigertail Crescent (south)
- Walker Avenue - Rak Court to Townsend Avenue
"These were the top three traffic-related areas when it came to traffic counts," said Deputy Mayor James Leduc, who also sits on the traffic committee, adding that they are spaced out in three different areas of town, "so at least we can say we dispersed them in the community."
Coun. Gary Lamb who also sits on the traffic committee was surprised to see the Walker Avenue stretch made the list.
"That's an interior neighbourhood, there's no commuter traffic going through there, that's just neighbours, and there are about a dozen wild people down there," he commented.
In the portion of Miller Park, he noted there are no driveways on that particular stretch of road and drivers who come in off the highway have at times been recorded travelling at 100 km/h.
"That would be a great spot for those speed cameras," he suggested for the future.
Coun. Mark Contois, another member of the traffic committee, said the cushions are similar to the bollards currently in use throughout the town and are much needed since Bradford seems to be in a 'crisis' when it comes to speeding.
"People think a stop sign is a yield sign...people are tailgating you if you're doing the speed limit, I don't understand what has happened over the past three years for this to occur."
Coun. Jonathan Scott, who made his debut on Tuesday night's meeting after winning the Ward 2 by-election earlier this month, suggested installing the cushions on side streets in the future, noting many drivers use them as 'shortcuts' to get to the main roads.
"If we were to ever extend the pilot...one thing we might want to look at is a street like Scanlon (Avenue) that is now being used to bypass two arterial streets because it's not just the long streets that people whip by, it's the ones people whip around to get from point A to point B."
Decisions on the size and cost of the cushions will be discussed at the town budget meeting in January, with hopes of having them installed sometime in spring 2021.
