Now that Maple Ridge has speed humps, two Pitt Meadows residents are asking again to have them in their city.
Last week, the raised asphalt humps were installed in Maple Ridge, along 124th Ave, between Laity and 216th streets, for $10,000.
Darlene Mercer has now written Pitt Meadow about traffic concerns she and her fellow neighbors have been talking about for years.
“Our neighborhood has been asking for traffic calming since we moved here about 17 years ago,” she wrote.
Mercer lives near Edith McDermott elementary and said she and her neighbors “still have a problem with people speeding through our neighbourhood. Every school term there is a great concern over people going through the four-way at Park and Bonson or going too fast in front of the school.”
Council in the past has steered clear of speed humps because of safety concerns, fearing they may cause more damage than they prevent.
Instead of installing speed humps along Mercer’s street, Park Road, the city opted for the installation of traffic bump-outs.
Bump-outs, also called curb extensions, are another traffic calming device designed to narrow portions of a street. Curbs are reconstructed to eliminate parking lanes, or to narrow through lanes. Mercer argued they are ineffective for slowing down traffic.
“We’re not getting traffic slowed down. People still come through at the speed they always did,” said Mercer.
Park Road resident Ron Holding agreed that the bump-outs have not slowed traffic. He also wants speed humps installed or stop signs.
Both Holding and Mercer emphasized bump-outs also reduce parking space.
Pitt Meadows Mayor Deb Walters is not opposed to the idea of installing speed humps somewhere in the city.
“I think we need to look at all options that keep our citizens safe,” she said.
Maple Ridge plans on monitoring the effectiveness of their newly installed speed humps for the next six months to a year.
