The District of Kent is looking to rent a speed reader board, in hopes that the data collected will offer incentive for Fraser Health or other grant providers to fund one permanently.
Under the Vision Zero Community Grant, organized by Fraser Health, the District of Kent is able to apply for up to $5,000 in funding that will contribute to programs designed to improve road safety in the community. During council on Feb. 11, the district decided to go ahead with an application to install a speed reader board near the crosswalk at McDonald Road on Highway 9.
Councillor Duane Post argued that a reader board on the highway would be more of a provincial issue, but CAO Wallace Mah said working with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure in the past has been slow at best.
“Staff did work with MoT, and as you know we finally got a crosswalk there (at McDonald Road), and that was like pulling teeth to get MoT to do that,” Mah said during council on Feb. 11. “I’m optimistic that if we could secure the $5,000 then we could try to work with ICBC to see if we could secure an additional $7,000 from them.”
There had been talks about the district installing an overhead pedestrian light, but as those costs could reach over $200,000, it was ultimately not feasible. The electronic speed boards are around $12,000 to install permanently.
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Two speed reader boards had already been approved for the school zone on Morrow Road, although not under the Vision Zero Community Grant. Those boards are expected to be finally installed before the end of February.
Council was initially divided on whether a speed reader board would actually slow down drivers on Highway 9: councillor Stan Watchorn said the one over the bridge in Hope was helpful in curbing his speed, while councillor Duane Post said “it might slow you down, I think it speeds others up.”
However, mayor and council were ultimately on board with the idea, many referencing the speed reader board on Vedder Road in Chilliwack, which flashes a smiley face to people going under the limit and a sad face to people going over.
However, after the council meeting, staff discovered that capital expenses like a speed reader board weren’t eligible for the Vision Zero grant unless it collects data. Because of that, during a special meeting on Feb. 13, council agreed to rent a data-collecting speed reader board instead.
Minutes from the meeting indicate the collected data could be shared with local enforcement officers, as well as the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
Staff are currently in the process of finding a speed reader board that collects data; if they can’t find one, or that grant isn’t accepted, then staff will look into other initiatives with community partners.
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