12 Friday, August 3, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com I just got your attention, didn't I? As ward councillor, I've discovered that the biggest problem we face daily in Ward One is speeding on residential streets. This isn't a surprise. It was the number one topic of conversation during the 2016 by-election campaign and remains so today. My counterparts in Wards Two, Three and Four claim the same holds true all over Whitby. In distributing the 'town-approved' Slow Down signs, I continue to hear stories of speeding, often while standing on the street as cars buzz past. What residents say is true. What I doubt is drivers understanding why they shouldn't be doing it. Drivers are distracted by their phones, hurrying to squeeze their lives into the day and flaunting the laws. Other solutions We have several initiatives on the go such as the new signs, the Pace program and Road Watch. We are targeting streets with the construction of bump outs and curbs like what is happening on Watford. We're investigating painted lines and graphics on the roads, too. While we've considered speed bumps, both our traffic and emergency staff aren't crazy about this option. I believe speed bumps should still be discussed, so hopefully we'll look at it again next term. We've also lowered speed limits in certain areas (some worked, but in other areas, drivers speed up!). We have mobile flashing speed signs, which are difficult to obtain since they're in high demand. However, they've yet to be proven successful long term. Of course, there's traditional law enforcement, and everyone slows down when a police car is present but we can't have a patrol car on every street. The issue keeps me up at night and I know it does the other ward councillors as well. It seems speeding on residential streets is an uphill climb, one I am eager to test my endurance on. I'm not done yet. Alas, there's hope. Provincial support Last year, the Provincial government passed the Safer School Zones Act. This will allow municipalities to use photo radar in areas such as school and community safety zones. Now we need Premier Doug Ford to proclaim the changes. When photo radar was tried before, it was unpopular because it was employed where commuters were driving ten over the limit, which we tend to do on 400 series highways. Now though, we have an entirely different scenario. It's about providing safer pedestrian areas in our communities. Our hope is that when drivers receive automatic speeding tickets, the message will get through: Speeding in school zones will not be tolerated. If we can solve this problem, we may also find more parents encouraging their children to walk to school. The more cars we leave at home, the safer the area will be. As for cost... Finally, what will photo radar cost if applied in all Durham Region school zones? Right now, I don't know. But I do know what the bump-outs and curbs on one street alone cost: over $250,000! A roundabout would be approximately double that. London, Ontario, installed red light cameras at 10 intersections where drivers were known to run the lights. They caught, on average, 10 drivers a day in the first year of operation. The cost for the lights was $3.8 million. The "income" from each was $325 per ticket. Do the math. In the end, I think it may pay for itself what with all the habitual speeders we have. But even if it doesn't, the bigger question remains: what might the cost be if we don't have photo radar in school zones? Free of Charge with your valid Ontario Health Card (OHIP) 9am to 9pm, 7 days a week www.durhamdoctorshousecallservice.com Have the Doctor Come To You (905) 619-6641 Our Councillor's Report by Rhonda Mulcahy North Ward Councillor, Town of Whitby mulcahyr@whitby.ca School Zone Photo Radar