The message is clear in this Bradford neighbourhood: Drivers, don’t dash down Blue Dasher Boulevard.
Four new speed humps have just been installed along the street, with one set of two installed between West Park Avenue and Professor Day Drive on Wednesday afternoon, and a second set installed between West Park Avenue and Summerlyn Trail on Thursday morning.
“At the end of the day a lot of people have been calling for speed humps and other mitigation tools, because people in their area are going too quickly,” said Ward 5 Coun. Peter Ferragine, chair of the Community and Traffic Safety Advisory Committee.
He explained that in some neighbourhoods, it’s largely the local residents who are speeding, but he feels Blue Dasher Boulevard is different.
“We have some streets in town where they collect traffic from side roads to bring them out to arterials, so these smaller collector roads are going to get some traffic that don’t live in the area. The residents that live in the area are going to see a much higher increase in traffic and a higher increase in speeds,” he said.
The humps cost about $7,000 per set, putting the combined cost of both sets along the street at $14,000; they were approved by the committee during their meeting on April 19, in response to traffic counts presented and discussed at the meeting on March 29.
Ferragine explained the committee understood it would take time to establish speed cameras and wanted to look at other mitigation measures they could implement in the meantime.
“Over the years we’ve been doing traffic counts all the time to make sure that we have the data to see which roads really need the help. ... It’s all about the current data that we have; that’s how we resolved to move ahead with Blue Dasher as one of the first projects,” he said.
That data from 2021 shows vehicles on the street between Russel Drive and Professor Day Drive had an average 85th percentile speed of 54 km/h despite the 40 km/h speed limit. That means 85 per cent of traffic was travelling at 54 km/h or slower, and 15 per cent were travelling faster than 54 km/h.
That section was ranked 11 out of 127 road sections measured, with one being the highest priority.
In 2020, the part of the street between Summerlyn Trail and West Park Avenue had an 85th percentile speed of 53 km/h, ranking it 14 out of 127.
To anyone who thinks speed humps don’t work, Ferragine said the humps installed on Miller Park Avenue as a pilot project resulted in a five-kilometre-per-hour reduction of the 85th percentile speed.
“It made a big difference, so as much as people might say ‘Oh, well, they don’t do anything,’ they actually do. The data is what speaks, not the perception,” he said.
Ward 4 Coun. Joseph Giordano is also a member of the committee who was happy to see the humps installed.
“This type of a project I’m super excited for, because in my heart I knew that it was feasible and reasonable, but working with everybody on the traffic and safety committee, we were able to determine that it was a high priority,” he said.
Giordano has a history of fighting against speeders in the area, after he started a petition in May of last year, asking the town to make the street safer and to consider speed humps, raised intersections and photo radar.
He recalled all but one of the residents along Blue Dasher Boulevard signed the petition, which he presented to council as a resident delegation on June 21, 2022.
Giordano said the frustrations he felt as a resident trying to do good for his community influenced him to run in the October municipal election.
“After running, you start to realize, not one person can get anything done in this town. You need to do it with a committee, you need to do it with consensus, you need to do it with data, and it needs to be done with all the right checks and balances,” he said.
In addition to that teamwork, Giordano also acknowledged that traffic safety is the No. 1 priority for the current council, but still felt some pride in seeing the work being done.
“I made a promise and a commitment to the residents and I delivered,” he said.
Giordano also explained that the humps are designed to reduce speeding without being detrimental to emergency vehicles or people using active transportation.
“It’s the habitual speeders and those doing more aggressive speeds, that it will significantly impact,” he said.
All of the residents on the street who spoke with BradfordToday had positive reactions to the humps.
Mary Marchese has lived in the neighbourhood for three years and felt the humps were overdue.
“It’s about time they did it. I’m happy that they took a step to doing something to at least try to protect and help the kids around here. I’m pleased,” she said.
Katrina Kajganic has lived in the neighbourhood for 13 years and said speeding has always been a problem.
“Since we moved in, it’s been non-stop. When the high school is in, it’s worse. They speed a lot, we’ve had basketballs explode in the street. We’re just relieved and happy, and glad that they’ll be in soon,” she said.
Kristy Mountford has lived in the neighbourhood for 10 years and said she’s noticed drivers slowing already just from the asphalt being cut out where the humps were being installed.
“It’s really quieted things down to be honest with you, and people are being more cautious it seems, so hopefully once the actual hump is there it will be much better,” she said
Mountford said speeding has been a challenge for as long as her family has lived in the neighbourhood, but feels it’s become worse in the last few years, and said she and three of her neighbours all worry about the impact on families.
“All four of us have kids and you can’t even play on the sidewalk because you’re so worried about cars speeding,” she said.
Nader Moradi has lived in the neighbourhood for five years and said he regularly hears cars revving as they accelerate out of the roundabout or brakes screeching as cars approach the roundabout.
“It’s about time. This street was a serious accident waiting to happen. This is like the Bradford speedway. The way people drive on this road is absolutely insane,” he said.
He’s looking forward help from the humps.
“I definitely think this will help. It’s good. This is progress,” he said.
With files from Patrick Bales
