City to mull traffic calming measures for Nordale
Traffic calming devices like small traffic circles or speed bumps could be on the way for a busy street in Nordale which residents say is creating safety issues for their neighbourhood.
Residents living around Fifth Ave. NW maintain many non-residents use their street as a short-cut to the landfill and often exceed speed limits. Neighbours petitioned the city for four-way stops and yield signs, but numbers gathered by the city show it does not meet the criteria for signs.
According to a report, speeds measured in the area indicate that 85 per cent of vehicles are travelling at or under 38 km/h and only 10 per cent of vehicles are travelling over the 40 km/h speed limit. Volume measurements have yielded similar results.
The Public Works Department looked into signage options and found that while a stop or yield sign may deter a few drivers, it could cause other more dangerous problems. Studies have shown that installing a stop sign that is not warranted for an intersection can actually increase collision rates. The option to install a curb and sidewalk was weighed but would come at a cost of around $300,000.