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City spending $25K on temporary road safety measures along Boxwood

Sep 18, 2018 | 5:29 PM

NANAIMO — A busy stretch of industrial road, often used as a shortcut to avoid Bowen Rd. traffic, will soon look and feel much narrower.

The City will spend roughly $25,000 for temporary traffic calming measures along Boxwood Rd. while staff work on formal planning and public consultation around a permanent solution to safety concerns with the area.

The temporary measures and attention from staff followed a February 2018 Council motion calling on staff to lay out options for the road. Council’s motion was in reaction to concerns brought forward by parents of children attending Vibe Dance Studio, which has operated in the largely industrial area for more than a decade.

During Monday night’s Council meeting, staff said Boxwood was an “extremely challenging” stretch of road to install safety measures on due to the industrial nature.

The temporary measures include painting a centre line on the road and installing plastic curb extensions at three intersections along Boxwood.

Coun. Bill Yoachim said the measures weren’t enough, calling for a roundabout to be installed near the dance studio.

“It’s insane when you sit outside the (dance studio). It’s absolutely insane, I’ve been saying this for four years now. We’re just waiting for a kid to get hit…So out of control man. I don’t need a study to suggest that, it’s just common sense to me.”

Coun. Ian Thorpe supported the studious approach.

“I think we want to make sure we solve this problem in the best possible way, but at least we’re doing something right now and it’s very much on our radar,” Thorpe said.

A City study found about 4,000 cars use Boxwood every day, travelling at an average speed of 61 km/h.

“There are currently no amenities for pedestrians or cyclists and there are regular calls to staff with concerns of visibility at the driveways along Boxwood,” the report said, noting the road would be connected through to East Wellington Rd. and open for traffic by fall of this year.

 

dom@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @domabassi