BarrieToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to a story titled 'Hazards or helpful? Springwater adopts bollards for traffic calming,' published Sept. 22.
As a Springwater resident, I was very happy to see council adopt bollards as a means to slow traffic on area roads.
The Sept. 22 article displayed the majority of council's resolve to address the increasingly hazardous trend of drivers significantly exceeding posted limits in our neighbourhoods. When the latest lawn ornament "craze" is the 'Slow Down' sign planted on front lawns everywhere, this has clearly gone on long enough.
Mayor Jennifer Coughlin's comment — "I'm OK getting it wrong. I'm OK having to go to residents and say we tried." — is a refreshing change to what has felt like paralysis when it comes to traffic calming in the area over the last several years.
Coun. Phil Fisher has been a champion for the residents in his ward in pushing the ball towards the goal line of safety and his efforts are sincerely appreciated.
Deputy Mayor George Cabral is simply wrong in blaming a bollard for his mishap. As a motorcycle rider, I can appreciate the added complexity of a large group ride. The safety of the participants depends on proper route planning and the capability of the ride captains. A speed limit change from 80 to 60 to 40 does not happen in the space of 100 metres and shouldn't have caught the planners/captains by surprise nor, therefore, the group.
Traffic calming in our residential areas is critical to residents' safety as some areas do not have sidewalks. This first step combined with photo radar are welcome measures that allow young and old, two-legged and four-legged, the simple enjoyment of walking through our communities enjoying all that Springwater has to offer. Well done!!
Mark Tobin
Midhurst
