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Narrow roads: Georgina moves to put brakes on speeders

Traffic violations in Georgina are up seven per cent in 2020; bollards installed to reduce speed

Yorkregion.com
July 19, 2021
Amanda Persico

Speeding is a growing concern in Georgina -- something the town has dealt with on numerous occasions.

And it’s only getting worse.

According to the York Regional Police (YRP)’s annual crime statistics, there was about a seven per cent increase in traffic violations in Georgina in 2020 compared to 2019, which includes speeding along with dangerous driving, driving while impaired and street racing.

And the town is doing something about it on residential roads -- adding flexible bollards to its anti-speeding arsenal.

The one-year pilot project will see about a dozen different locations scattered with bollards, creating a narrowing effect of the road and changing driver behaviour with the goal of slowing down traffic.

“Watching someone drive between the bollards, there’s a dramatic difference,” said Councillor Mike Waddington, chairperson of Georgina’s safe streets committee.

This is something going back to the 2018 municipal campaign, where street safety was a consistent theme, he added.

“It wasn’t just one specific area,” Waddington said.

Other options such as rumble strips, speed bumps or speed pillows were looked at, but didn’t make the cut.

Rumble strips produce a lot of noise, even at low speeds, and there’s plenty of debate on whether speed bumps reduce response time for emergency vehicles -- not to mention the optics of having police cruisers monitoring speed at several locations across town.

“We wanted something that would work,” Waddington said. “And we didn’t want to depend on YRP. That’s not feasible and is a waste of resources.”

The plan is to expand the on-street flexible bollard program each year, and there’s a growing list of Georgina streets where speeding is an issue.

Selected roadways are assessed based on traffic counts, number of complaints and the design of the road to determine if street bollards are the right solution.

Georgina’s bollard program mirrors a similar pilot project in Newmarket. After two years, the program was expanded and reported an average five-kilometre reduction in speed where bollards were located.

Just over half of all fatal collisions in York Region in 2020 can be attributed to speeding (30 per cent) and inattention (26 per cent).

Across the region, traffic violations, including speeding, were down about 18 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019 and down about six per cent from 2016.

While speeding numbers decreased as a result of residents staying home during the pandemic, speeding is always a concern, said Const. Laura Nicolle, YRP media relations officer.

“Specific areas we focus on are often school zones or near parks as well as community safety zones,” she said.

Residents can report public safety concerns, such as constant speeding on a residential road or a stop sign that is often ignored, to the YRP.

Each of Georgina’s bollard locations are in close proximity to a school, park, community safety zone or residential neighbourhood where speeding has been an issue.

Where are the on-street bollards?

Keswick

Jackson’s Point

Sutton

And the bollards are working.

“We don’t get speeding complaints anymore from (those locations),” said Sgt. Hoyt Miller, YRP representative on the town’s Safe Streets committee. “I think we need more of them.”

In 2020, the town moved to reduce speeds along Lake Drive North, Lake Drive East and Hedge Road from 40 km/h to 30 km/h. The town also established new community safety zones covering major pedestrian hot spots, such as Willow Beach, De La Salle and North Gwillimbury Forest parks, public marinas, harbours and boat launches.