Traffic-calming measures coming to Fredericton street where crash killed 3 young people
'It's a subdivision, not an interstate highway,' Douglas Avenue resident says
When Mark Thomas glances up the street from his house on Douglas Avenue, he can't help but recall the chaotic scene two months prior. There were flashing police lights, ambulances and a wreckage of cars and twisted metal.
A crash in the early hours of May 5 claimed the lives of three young people, two of them students at Leo Hayes High School. But Thomas and other residents say they had been warning the city for years about their concerns around speeding drivers.
Now the city is responding with new traffic-calming measures on Douglas Avenue — nine speed cushions — and residents like Thomas are optimistic.
"It's about the kids, it's about safety, and if that's what it takes, that's what we have to do."
Flawed design contributes to higher speeds, says councillor
Nashwaaksis North Coun. Bruce Grandy says speed has been an issue on Douglas Avenue for as long as he's lived in the neighbourhood.
He believes the street, which runs parallel to the Ring Road leading onto Westmorland Street Bridge and loops around from Brookside Drive down to Maple Street, was built too wide from the outset.
"They were looking at a design of a street more like a highway I think than anything, for capacity," Grandy said. "I think that was kind of a mistake at the time, not looking forward [and] making it residential."
Thomas said drivers frequently use Douglas Avenue as "a thoroughfare to the bridge" when traffic is heavier on the Ring Road or Maple Street.
"In the summertime, it can be scary for those, including myself, with grandchildren… people not taking heed that it's a subdivision, not an interstate highway," Thomas said.
The fact that the road is long, wide, on an incline and curves in places "adds to the situation," he said.
The speeding issues were serious enough that Thomas said he and his neighbours almost submitted a petition a few years ago.
Grandy, who chairs the city's mobility committee, said complaints of speed are more than anecdotal.
Last year, the city updated its residential traffic calming policy and studied traffic speeds, traffic volumes, collision history, and other factors. Grandy said the study put Douglas Avenue second on the list of highest-risk residential streets.
Speed cushions vs. speed bumps
Two traditional speed bumps have already been installed at one end of Douglas Avenue. But the city is aiming to install the nine speed "cushions" by August.
Speed cushions, which already exist elsewhere in the city, are wider than speed bumps, with two strips in the middle that are street level.
Grandy said the city opted for cushions rather than bumps after consulting with snow plows and emergency services like police, fire and Ambulance NB.
"It's very difficult on equipment to have to transverse over an actual speed bump, comparative to speed cushions, because they can sort of somewhat straddle them," Grandy said.
Several other traffic-calming measures have been attempted on Douglas Avenue over the years, with mixed results.
Grandy said police frequently monitor the area for speeding, as they had been at the time of the fatal collision in May. A rubber construction speed bump was trialled last year, but then removed. Before that, the city tried a roundabout at the midway point of Douglas Avenue, but Grandy said it didn't work.
"Drivers were just speeding through it, some crashed in and over it," he said. "It was a bad experiment at the time."
The issue of 'sign noise'
The speed limit on Douglas Avenue is 50km/h, and while the city says lowering speed limits can mitigate the severity of collisions, it can also backfire.
"Lower speed limits can lead to safety risks like increased speed differentials, illegal passing, and rear-end collisions," reads the City of Fredericton's website.
Another option is using portable "driver feedback" signs, many of which are installed around the city. But Grandy argues more signs don't always work.
"A lot of people disregard signs, because there are so many. You know, you have speed, children playing, crosswalks, sign after sign, and it gets to be sign noise after a while. And the motoring public sometimes just doesn't pay attention.… I think you need to put [traffic-calming] measures in like we're doing."
Grandy said he wants traffic data to be more transparent to the public in general. He pointed to an interactive online portal that city engineers are working on that would let residents see traffic data for their own street.
In the meantime, Thomas said the community is still hurting from the loss of the three young people in May.
"There are people mourning over these deaths, you know. For whatever reason, the [police] investigation's still on, so that will come out in time," Thomas said.
Fredericton Police Force spokesperson Sonya Gilks said in a statement that "the accident reconstruction report will hopefully be ready by the end of the month," and that the file remains "an active investigation."
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