City councillor wants greydar in Brocklehurst
Brocklehurst could play host to Kamloops’ first senior speed zone if a motion from city councillor Marg Spina is successful.
The motion, which will be put forward on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the regular council meeting, calls for a pilot project on Desmond Street aimed at getting drivers to slow down and stop parking on pedestrian shoulders.
Spina said she came up with the idea after Errol Borsky, whose mother lives at Ridgeview Lodge, wrote to council about unsafe traffic conditions in the area.
Borsky said he and his mother, who uses a wheelchair, typically walk down Desmond Street to Tranquille Road to go for coffee. The area doesn’t have a sidewalk, just a painted line sectioning off part of the roadway for pedestrians.
“As we walk along, we have been startled on numerous occasions by vehicles who don’t seem to see we are quite vulnerable being on the same roadway that they are,” he wrote.
“Most are just fine, and some even slow down, but there are those who swerve at the last minute, the speeders and the texters.”
While putting a sidewalk on Desmond Street would be “the ultimate safety measure,” Spina said she’s heard from many in the area who don’t want one on their street, noting the neighbourhood has to buy in for such a plan to go ahead.
She said a speed zone allows homeowners to keep on enjoying their sidewalk-free lifestyle, but should make motorists more aware of who they’re driving by.
“I see it as an opportunity to try something that’s low cost that may promote healthy aging for people and make people aware of who lives in their neighbourhood,” Spina said.
“Because it has changed substantially in the last few years.”
In addition to a reduced speed limit of about 30 km per hour, Spina would like to see signs encouraging people to drive carefully.
She would also like to see wheelchairs and bicycles stenciled on the pedestrian shoulder, to make it clearer that it’s a walkway.
“People might think, ‘Well, that’s the edge of the road,’” she said.
“So, rather than leave it up to what people might think, ‘Why not sign and make it clear that there’s a population that needs our attention and we need to make them safe?’”
COMMENTS
Let's keep comments:
We ask that all participants own their words by logging in with their Facebook account. It's a simple process that will take seconds and helps keep our comments free of trolls, cranks, and “drive-by” commenters.
We reserve the right to remove comments from anyone using screen names, pseudonyms or false identities. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.