The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor Children often fear things that go bump in the night, but another type of bump promises to keep Bellevue Ave. kids safe. The city plans to install one or two speed bumps on the southern stretch of the street amid concerns of speeding and reckless driving. 'I'm very thrilled,' said Tanya Benoit, a neighbourhood mom who brought traffic concerns to city council this past May. 'I think it is going to be a huge help and a step in the right direction.' The city's Traffic Commission has agreed in principle to install the bump or bumps, but no timeline has been finalized. Municipal Administrator Mark Kolt said the city is still in the process of pricing out the various types of bumps available. Depending on height and width, he said, bumps can cost in the low thousands of dollars to a figure 'considerably above that.' 'It's enough that it warrants proper inquiry before the purchases are given the go-ahead,' Kolt said. The Traffic Commission has discussed bumps that can be removed in the winter so as not to hinder snow removal operations. Concerns When Benoit brought her concerns to council earlier this year, she said drivers on her side of Bellevue are speeding and performing hazardous stunts. 'My fear is that my sons, or any other child for that matter, will be injured or even killed because of the reckless behaviour of drivers,' she said at the time. Benoit said she witnessed two children, on separate occasions, nearly being hit by vehicles while a taxi has struck her dog. She described frequent episodes of speeding and of drivers doing 'burnouts' and 'donuts' on the section of Bellevue adjacent to Rotary Park. Benoit described one disturbing incident where a car came around the corner by the Rotary Park changehouse and 'just laid on the gas' as her two young sons crossed the street. Another troubling episode occurred when Benoit saw a car do a donut in front of her home, sending a rock flying at her house, cracking her siding and missing her son by three feet. At the same meeting, Mayor George Fontaine said he and Coun. Ken Pawlachuk would bring the matter to the attention of RCMP Staff Sgt. Andy Jarvie.
