Clayburn Village looks set to get new signs and crosswalk upgrades to improve safety through the small community.
Residents have complained for years about drivers racing through the village, despite a posted speed limit of 30 km/h. In addition to safety concerns, they say speeding vehicles shake the foundations of the historical buildings that line the road.
The city now hopes two speed reader boards to alert drivers that they are going too fast, along with curb and crosswalk improvements, will slow traffic. There are also plans to install two welcome signs at the entrances to the community.
The idea is that the various improvements will subtly make drivers more aware of the areas’s pedestrians and slower speed, thereby getting them to slow down.
An improved crosswalk with a bulging curb at the general store, along with a new crosswalk at the junction with Clayburn Lane, are among the plans.
Reflective markers would also be added at a curve to the community’s east in order to deter those who cut the corner at speed.
The changes have been long coming. Two years ago, in the fall of 2017, traffic engineers collected data that showed that one in seven drivers were going nearly 20 km/h over the speed limit.
Staff initially proposed two options. Both included a “speed table” at the western and eastern exits to the city. Those don’t appear to have been included in the final design. City documents said last year that they could delay emergency vehicles, “give a false sense of pedestrian security” and increase traffic noise.
Short notice left The News unable to attend a committee meeting this week, and city officials are not permitted to speak to the media. A powerpoint presentation says staff have met with the Clayburn Village Community Society in September, and that there was agreement on the crosswalks and speed-reader board, but more discussion needed on the style and location of the welcome signs.
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