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It may be posted at 40 km/hr, but the fastest speeder recorded on Barton Drive so far was going 118 km/hr. (File photo/paNOW Staff)
City Hall

Almost 80 km/hour over speed limit on Barton helps drive review

Jul 20, 2022 | 1:21 PM

Using an example of clocking a vehicle driving just under 80 kms/hour faster than the posted speed limit has helped residents of Barton Drive convince council that a review of safety measures on their street is needed.

Jody Hammersmith lives on the street and said the issue is an ongoing one.

“Forty kilometres per hour maximum is the posted speed limit and 118 km/hour is the fastest recorded speed so far on Barton Drive,” he told city council on Monday.

The vehicle that was captured at 118 km/hour was in 2020 but was not an isolated event and there have been 18 incidents in the last 1.5 months, according to a hidden speed detector installed by PAPS to track speeds.

The volume of speeding incidents has increased every year, he said, and many are in the 100 km/hr range.

Barton Drive is a residential street and connects with 15 Avenue East on the west side and ends next to Ecole Vickers on Olive Diefenbaker Drive.

It was suggested that a speed bump might help slow the traffic on the street.

Councillors said that while bumps do work in the location they are at, residents should not expect it to completely solve the problem.

“I can say with almost certainty, it’s not going to make everybody slow down,” said Coun. Ted Zurakowski.

Coun. Dennis Ogrodnick agreed that one temporary speed bump may not make a huge difference.

Blake Edwards, who is the councillor for the ward Barton Drive is in, said he thinks there is a problem with speeders on the street.

“I’ve seen the videos, I’ve seen the data from the police, I’ve seen the data from our speed signs. There is a speeding issue,” he said.

Police have also put traffic officers on the street at times, but the speeders were not caught, and officers can’t spend long lengths of time on one street, Edwards said.

The request to put a temporary speed bump on Barton Drive will go to administration for further review, along with direction from council to review the entire policy.

susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

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