About seven years ago, traffic calming features, including speed bumps, were installed on Southview Drive. Some of features were removed after a water main replacement in the area.
With heavy traffic still a big issue in the neighbourhood, city staff consulted with residents about a “second iteration” of traffic calming.
In a press release, the city said traffic calming “helps to improve neighbourhood livability, increase road user safety and promotes urban development.”
Five speed bumps were installed along the corridor from Kelly Lake Road to Regent Street this summer.
Two pedestrian crossovers — one located at the intersection of Southview and Stephen and the other at Marcel and Bouchard — were activated Nov. 15.
The city has begun installing this type of intersection control, which involves flashing lights, around town over the past year.
They're a way for pedestrians to cross the road where there are no traffic lights or stop signs.
Pedestrian crossovers cost in the “$30,000 to $50,000 range” each, said Joe Rocca, traffic and asset management supervisor for the City of Greater Sudbury.
“The early feedback is really positive,” he said. “They're seeing a big difference in the road. They're seeing drivers slow down. They're excited about the pedestrian crossover.”
Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti, whose ward encompasses the Southview Drive area, said he thinks the traffic calming features are “excellent,” adding he's also received positive feedback from residents.
“Some of the people travelling in the area from one place to the other, are they happy?” he said.
“Probably not. But at the end of the way, we're not stopping traffic, what we're doing is just getting traffic to respect the area and slow down.”
Frank Stradiotto, an area resident who braved Wednesday's rain to try out one of the new pedestrian crossovers, said traffic is incredibly heavy in the area.
Without traffic calming, Southview residents sometimes can't even back out of their driveways, he said.
He said he's in favour of the new features, especially the pedestrian crossovers. However, Stradiotto also makes an observation about the unintended consequences of the Southview traffic calming.
“Now to avoid the bumps, they're going onto Robinson,” he said.
