{"id":12496,"date":"2019-10-02T13:30:51","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T16:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=12496"},"modified":"2019-10-02T13:30:51","modified_gmt":"2019-10-02T16:30:51","slug":"editorial-speed-bumps-the-answer-or-a-hindrance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=12496","title":{"rendered":"EDITORIAL: Speed bumps – the answer or a hindrance?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Halifax Traffic Authority announced recently it approved speed bumps in several community residential streets in Fall River and Windsor Junction, along with other areas in HRM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\n news was meant with a mixture of good and bad from residents on it, and\n some wondering why they weren\u2019t included in the initial roll-out. If \nthe program is deemed successful, then there is an opportunity to expand\n to other streets, to those in Wellington, in Schwarztwald, in St. \nAndrews or Fall River Village.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, along with the good comes \nthe bad. Some see this as nothing more than helping get the speed down \nsomething a development the community has been against needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \nIngram Drive development\u2014which is still being considered by the \ndeveloper with changes but has yet to come back to council\u2014 could \nbenefit from the speed bumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It remains to be seen whether that \nis what happens, but several residents feel that the speed bumps \ninstallation are simply to ease the passing of the future development \nthat no one wants, and thus these will help the developers achieve that \ngoal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then there\u2019s the response form our firefighters, police, and\n EHS. These speed bumps will slow their response quite a bit\u201410-15 \nseconds each speed bump. So when seconds count, their time will be spent\n trying to get over the speed bumps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the speeding issue on some\n of these streets something that people\/residents are willing to put the\n response from our emergency responders on the back burner and are okay \nwith a delay? I know if my loved one was having a cardiac arrest or \ntrouble breathing I\u2019d like them there as fast as they can be, not \nimpeded by any speed bumps or delays that could impact whether my loved \none survives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there\u2019s people saying it\u2019s the fault of the\n police. As Councillor Streatch told me, police can\u2019;t be everywhere \neven with several new recruits paid for in the recent budget. They are still stretched thin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speeding is a definite concern and safety issue for those in our residential subdivisions. I\u2019m just not sure what the clear solution is. Whether speed bumps are that solution remains to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n