New traffic calming measures are in-bound to curb speeding along the Departure Bay waterfront. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

slower traffic

New traffic calming measures coming to Departure Bay neighbourhood

Jun 25, 2020 | 12:03 PM

NANAIMO — A new traffic calming test project along Departure Bay Rd. aims to eliminate speeding through the busy summer corridor.

Concrete curbs will be installed along the centre line at the three pedestrian crosswalks between Kinsman Park and Bay St. along Departure Bay Rd. The curbs are designed to slow cars primarily driving northbound down the hill.

Chuck Easton, director with the Departure Bay Neighbourhood Association, told NanaimoNewsNOW he’d observed almost half the vehicles on the road going above 50 kilometres per hour.

“I see vehicles passing cars doing 30 kilometres per hour, as per the speed limit, but I also see people passing cars that are stopped at crosswalks to let pedestrians pass,” Easton said. “It’s very dangerous, I don’t want to see anyone hurt in a crosswalk.”

Speed limits on Departure Bay Rd. frequently vary from 30 to 50 kilometres per hour between Brooks Landing and the Hammond Bay Rd. intersection.

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Easton said the idea for concrete curbs stemmed from similar steps taken in the Old City Quarter and Hammond Bay neighbourhood where crosswalk signs were placed in the middle of the road, narrowing lane space.

“It’s a lot easier for drivers to notice and also narrows the road with the width of the sign, so drivers tend to slow down when they see the road narrowing,” Easton said.

The proposed locations of centre dividing concrete curbs to slow traffic on Departure Bay Rd. (Google Maps)

The idea was supported by the neighbourhood association’s own experiments of placing traffic cones in the middle of the road, something he said slowed speed naturally.

Mayor Leonard Krog said he travels Departure Bay Rd. at least twice daily and didn’t see an immediate need to slow traffic.

“You’re always on the lookout for kids and people, it’s a natural slowing down,” Krog said. “Busy streets in my respectful opinion are slow streets. Where people speed is where people see no pedestrians, they see no traffic.”

He added he was not opposed to taking action if Departure Bay Rd. needed traffic calming, but noted there are problem spots throughout Nanaimo.

“I want to know that we’re not being a solution in search of a problem where there are other streets in this community that might merit genuine slowing down because of the accident, injury or death rate,” Krog said.

The neighbourhood association is due to be briefed by the city before proceeding with installation of the curbs.

They will remain in place until October when council will decide whether or not to make them a full-time fixture.

— with files from Spencer Sterritt

alex.rawnsley@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AlexRawnsley