Drivers passing through Jarvie may be in for a bumpy a ride.
Jarvie General Store owner Michelle Cuthbertson is fed up with drivers racing through the hamlet and after years of trying everything, speed bumps are next on the list.
Westlock County councillors will vote on the speed bumps at their June 27 meeting and if they vote in favour, four speed bumps will be installed on Range Road 272 for a six-month trial period. At the end of the trial, there will be a community survey to judge how well they worked.
The bumps will be spread across the road, going down from Pembina Gas to the new Jarvie Community Drop In Centre.
“I think we’re trying to enforce a more safe town,” Cuthbertson said. “You’re able to walk down the street and not worry about getting killed. Your kids can walk safely to catch the bus, they can go down to the library. If we had something to deter the people burning through town, even if it means they slow down, at least they’re slowing down at some time.”
Since Cuthbertson moved to Jarvie in 2010 and she said excessive speeding has been an ongoing issue.
The community has tried numerous things to prevent people from ripping by, from putting up signs to staking out a peace officer, then a police officer, to lowering the speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h and expanding the playground zone.
“We have lots of children in town that go and play, and yes they’re not supposed to be playing on the streets, but still it’s a small town and that’s why you move to a small town. It’s so your children have the availability to go out and play.”
She added that not only was it dangerous for kids and seniors who are out and about, but also for drivers backing out of the general store.
Living upstairs from the store, she has noticed that speeding is especially troublesome around the time the store closes in the evenings.
Whenever customers come to shop, she reminds them of the limit.
“It’s local, it’s people passing through, it’s dirt bikes, it’s quads, it’s tractors, it’s all sorts of things,” she observed, but wasn’t sure whether it was drivers not paying attention, or simply forgetting that the limit is no longer 50 km/h.
“It’s excessive. It doesn’t take any longer for them to go from one spot to the next by going 100 km/h through town.”
She noted that the idea of putting in speed bumps had come up before but this was a bit of a last resort as the community had already tried everything else.
A survey was passed around the community and the majority were in favour of adding speed bumps.
“There’s always going to be that handful of people that don’t think it’s necessary, but those handful of people usually aren’t in town after hours or else they’re not out of their houses after hours, or before, or at that certain time, or they don’t have young children,” she noted.
“Like I said to the community members, we’re a guinea pig. We’re going to try it and see how it works and if it’s beneficial, then maybe it’s something other communities can look into if they’re having trouble with this.”
