Amid concerns raised by residents, the City of Colwood is planning to install speed reader boards on both Lagoon Road and Milburn Drive “in an effort to collect data on vehicular speed and counts at both locations.”
A report filed by Nikii Hoglund, the City’s director of engineering, stated that the readers would be installed late this week and that they would be used to “determine reasonable next steps with regard to traffic calming initiatives in the neighbourhood.”
Those next steps will be a part of a new traffic calming policy, a recommendation that was passed by council earlier this month. Data will be collected weekly, providing vehicle counts and speeds on both streets.
The area has become increasingly problematic according to residents, who spoke up at an April committee meeting. Craig Booth, a resident of Milburn Drive for 52 years, says he recently counted 255 cars along the route during morning rush hour, 220 of which he estimates were going above the road’s 40 km/h posted speed limit.
“It’s a lack of enforcement,” he told the Gazette.
West Shore RCMP Commanding Officer Insp. Larry Chomyn has acknolwedged the validity of the concerns. They have been passed along to the rest of the department, according to Const. Alex Berube.
Coun. Jason Nault, who chairs the transportation and public infrastructure committee, noted at a previous council meeting that the problem is persistent in many areas around Colwood.
At the same meeting, council rejected a recommendation for speed cushions on Milburn Drive, preferring to study the area further.