By Riley Denver
Lyon Street resident Bruce Bursey is trying to spread the word that traffic-calming speed humps and the raised intersection on his street are working.
“I’ve lived here since 1984 and I’ve witnessed several accidents — some very tragic,” Bursey says.
“But since they installed the speed humps in the fall of 1999, I haven’t personally seen one accident.”
The city’s study on accidents on Lyon Street shows a decrease in the number of accidents between Somerset and Catherine streets from 35 accidents a year to two accidents in 1999.
Bursey made a request for the statistics on the Lyon St. traffic-calming project under the city’s Freedom of Information laws last year.
He finally received information in January.
The previous city staff delayed releasing the information. After amalgamation the new city turned his request down.
The reason, Bursey was told, was the city did not want to release the Lyon Street statistics separate from the rest of Centretown.
He has spent the last two months trying to convince local residents and businesses of the success of the speed humps and raised intersection in cutting the number of accidents.
“Before on the stretch from Gladstone to Catherine there would be an accident every 10 days,” Bursey says. “Now, there is one every six months.”
Somerset Coun. Elisabeth Arnold says she agrees the traffic -calming project is preventing accidents.
“I definitely think it’s working,” says Arnold. “The benefits are slower traffic, reduced
accidents, and enhancing streetscape, providing more opportunity for greening.”
She says the only complaints she has heard are from people who are used to speeding through the area en route to the Queesnway.
“The project has to focus on its priority, which is a pedestrian-safe, bicyclist-safe, esthetically-pleasing environment,” Arnold says.
“People have to realize that the roads are designed and built for the speed limit.”
Mike Flainek,a spokesman for the city, cautions against jumping to conclusions.
“You need to look at the area network, accidents on Lyon Street, accidents in Centretown, the volume of traffic on Lyon Street, the speed of the drivers on Lyon Street, to determine whether or not the project has been a success,” Flainek says.
Flainek adds that he has received calls from Percy Street residents complaining of traffic cutting though their street which may be from Lyon Street.
A more detailed report is due from the city in two months.
Not everyone thinks the traffic-calming measures work.
“I don’t think they slow people down,” says local resident Sone Sayasa. “I think it’s pretty safe to walk and drive, but I don’t think the humps make it any safer.”
“They just buzz right over them,” says Dmitri Papoulias, who owns a business on Lyon Street.