Dear Editor,
I wish to comment on two letters regarding speed bumps which appeared in the Jan. 17th edition.
In his letter, Craig Little suggests adding an additional lift of asphalt on Lakeshore between the speed bumps. This might have the desired effect but it is costly and disruptive.
I suggest the following solution to the perceived problem: enforce the 30 km speed limit on Lakeshore. If those who drive down Lakeshore at excessive speeds bottom out and damage their vehicles, it is their own fault and not a design problem. If people obey the speed limit they will not bottom out.
Why should the taxpayers spend a lot of money to fix a “problem” which is caused by individuals who are breaking the law by speeding?
To those who say they cannot pull trailers down Lakeshore without bottoming out, I suggest using Railway (50th) Avenue. A sign at either end of town, saying vehicles pulling trailers should proceed down Railway, is a lot cheaper than repaving or grinding down the speed bumps.
Two additional benefits of enforcing the 30 km speed limit would be increased safety for those walking to the beach and increased revenue from the myriad of speeding tickets which would be issued.
In his letter, Ken Somerville expresses concern that emergency vehicles have difficulty negotiating the speed “jumps”. I suggest there is no need for emergency vehicles to be using Lakeshore as an east/west route through town. They should also use Railway Avenue.
There is direct access between Lakeshore and Railway on every street from 34th through to 50th. Lakeshore is never more than a couple of hundred yards from Railway between the above mentioned streets. It can be reached more quickly, and safely, than driving over all the speed bumps.
Rather than spending massive amounts of the taxpayers’ money, the town should use common sense combined with enforcement of the speed limit. Do so and the “problem” disappears.
The money saved by not physically altering the speed bumps could be used to benefit everyone in town, not just those who speed down Lakeshore.
Michael O’Hanlon,
Sylvan Lake