Concerns are growing in Williams Lake’s Westridge area where residents want drivers to slow down in their neighbourhood.
On Thursday, Sept. 17 a driver crashed into a power pole. It is unknown whether speed played a factor in that crash, however, it was the second time that’s happened in less than a month.
Read more: Single vehicle crash closes portion of Westridge Drive Thursday night
“I don’t even like walking to the mailbox because I don’t trust people at the crosswalks,” said Yvonne Trampleasure, who lives on Ridgewood Place.
“No one stops or they are going too fast to stop.”
She has lived there for two and a half years and said she’s noticed the area is getting busier.
“There are so many young families. In my cul-de-sac alone there are 13 kids. People rip in here and pull a U-turn to go back out on Westridge. It’s quite shocking.”
The speed limit is 50 kilometres an hour with the exception of an area near a playground where it is 30 km/hr.
Trampleasure suggested because there are mailboxes, crosswalks, blind corners and side roads a 30 km/hour speed limit would be better.
Gina Mawson said she is deeply concerned and there needs to be a solution.
“People in cars and on dirt bikes whip around this area like it’s an Xbox game instead of a residential area with tons of children always out playing and riding bikes,” Mawson said.
Referring to Thursday evening’s collision, Mawson said she is ‘incredibly’ worried that more incidents could result in a child being hit or killed.
“It’s worrisome watching people speed up the road and keep on going, and not slowing down,” said Chantelle Cheek, noting at one time there was a speed board on Westridge Drive and Crosina Crescent, but it was taken away.
Speed boards provide a good reminder for people, she added.
“We are trying to find solutions for the neighbourhood. People want more speed bumps put in,” she said. “People are bypassing the school bus and speeding around Eagle Crescent to get up to the highway so people on Eagle Crescent are not happy either,” Cheek said.
The last straw for her was when she was driving one day last week in the neighbourhood, slowed down to go over a speed bump and someone passed her.
Cheek said the Westridge Subdivision Community Facebook page has 244 members.
RCMP Insp. Jeff Pelley said there is an area that has a park so it does apply to 30 kilometres an hour, where most areas the speed limit is 50 km/hr.
“We are trying to make a presence in areas where we are getting speeding vehicles and complaints and increase our visibility where enforcement is necessary.”
Tyrel Skinner and his family moved to the Westridge area a couple of years ago.
He said right away he noticed the speed at which motorists ‘fly down the road.’
“After witnessing several extreme close calls of kids running out in front of moving vehicles we talked with neighbours and decided to start a petition for a speed bump on our street,” Skinner said. “I made the decision not to canvas the street due to COVID-19 and turned to social media to spread the word.”
Using social media made him aware the ‘entire’ Westridge community felt that more needed to be done so he reworded his petition to include speed control for the entire community, he said.
“The community’s support of this petition has been huge.”
He said another resident is helping him run the petition for the week and the hope is to hand it to city council soon.
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