Speed humps coming to Burkholder Street in Stouffville

Yorkregion.com
July 11, 2019
Simon Martin

Two teens came flying down Franklin Street on their bikes as the same time a car came racing up Burkholder Street. They appeared destined to collide until, with squealing the brakes, the car stopped a couple of metres from the cyclists.

Ten minutes later, two young children playing at the playground on the north side of Burkholder Street dart across the road to the playground on the south side. A lady in a Mazda Miata sees them and comes to a halt in time to avoid hitting them.

Incidents like this are daily occurrence on Burkholder Street, local resident Sarah Cirinna said. She has lived in the area for the last 11 years and said it's become worse in the last four years.

“It’s the speeding. They go right through the stop sign,” she said. “People from the new subdivision are cutting through here.”

Helen Schmidt has lived on Burkholder Street since 1954 and said the road has only become a danger in the past couple of years. “Anything to get them to slow down,” she said.

The town is aware of the problem.

Council voted to close the road permanently through the park in June of 2018 only to reverse course later in the year after the election.

At the Dec. 11, 2018 council meeting, staff were directed to open the Leisure Centre driveway and Burkholder Street, west of Park Drive, to improve access to the local neighbourhood. Also at that time, council directed staff to implement an all-way stop control at the intersection of Burkholder Street and the Leisure Centre driveway.

Council has also directed staff to temporarily close Burkholder Street on weekends and long weekends from May to September 2019.

While the town has fulsome study of the area scheduled for 2020, in the meantime, they are going to implement temporary speed humps on the road later in the summer. Town spokesperson Glenn Jackson said the target date for the speed humps to be implemented is the beginning of August.

The purchase price of the speed humps, speed bumps and associated signs is anticipated to be approximately $5,000 according to town staff.

The speed humps were welcome news for residents.

“It’s bad when the train gets out. A lot of people here have young kids,“ Nicole Fuller said. “I am for it.”

Ward 6 Coun. Sue Sherban said residents have given her positive feedback about the traffic calming measures. Council is aware that this is a very sensitive issue.

“The whole challenge is to get traffic to flow smoothly but not at the price of safety,” Ward 4 Coun. Rick Upton said.

In the future, Ward 3 Coun. Hugo Kroon said going forward it is important for the town to find a way to make sure the road doesn’t run through the park.

“The park is primarily used by kids and youth," Kroon said. "They are not primarily cognizant of the dangers of traffic."

Sherban mentioned the possibility of connecting the leisure centre driveway directly to Park Drive, just north of the of the Leisure Centre parking lot, but that matter can’t be addressed until the town’s environmental assessment of the area is completed next year.

The town is also in the midst of developing a plan for Memorial Park.

At a public meeting earlier this year, the preliminary concept plan presented by the town included some big changes to the park including a roundabout at Park Drive and Burkholder Street, the relocation of the Stouffville Lawn Bowling Club and the potential creation of a skating trail.