麻豆视频

Have you driven down Wellock Road recently? Have you noticed the new addition to the road?

Yes, speed humps are now in place, after nine months of debate, public discourse, complaints from the public and speculation on whether it would actually happen.

Seven months ago, during the all-candidates forum for the councillor candidates, it appeared the speed hump issue was dead. Seven of the nine councillor candidates said they were opposed to the concept.

They believed increased enforcement was the solution to the speed problems on Wellock Road, and they were worried motorists might use Nicholson Road instead, creating traffic congestion on a road that is fairly narrow with several tight curves.

But a strange thing happened on the way to the demise of the speed humps: a few councillors changed their minds, and in late January, a divided council approved the speed control structures for Wellock Road.

We should all be in agreement that there is a speed issue on Wellock Road, particularly in the restricted speed zone area around Sacred Heart School/脡cole Sacr茅 Coeur and the Pleasantdale Softball Diamonds.

Data released by the Estevan Police Service showed the average speed was more than 40 kilometres per hour (km/h), while the speed limit in the reduced speed zone was 30 km/h. The fastest speed recorded was 83 km/h.

The addition of silhouettes of children, thanking motorists for slowing down, did not prove to be effective. Nobody was surprised by that.

The Estevan Police Service has ramped up patrols in the area, but they can鈥檛 be on Wellock Road around the clock. They have other areas of the community to patrol, and other tasks to tend to.

Photo radar wasn鈥檛 a viable option.

And so speed humps became an option for slowing traffic down, even though they鈥檙e annoying and inconvenient. 聽

The bigger issue, though, is why increased patrols, emotionally-based signage and speed humps had to be an option on Wellock Road. Why do people insist on speeding through a school zone, a playground zone and a growing residential area.

Maybe there鈥檚 a reason the speed limit is 30 km/h. And maybe we should be exercising common sense, and obeying that speed limit, rather than putting people鈥檚 safety at risk.

So now three structures are in place that will force us to drive below the speed limit.

If you鈥檝e been driving the speed limit along Wellock Road, then thank you. You aren鈥檛 part of the problem.

But if you鈥檝e been driving above the speed limit, especially if you鈥檝e been speeding by more than 20 or even 30 km/h, then you are part of the problem, not the solution. You鈥檙e the reason for the speed humps.

So rather than gripe about the police, city council or the city鈥檚 traffic committee, perhaps you should take a long hard look in the mirror.