'Speed humps' get test run on Southview Dr. in Sudbury

Morning North8:31Using speed humps to calm traffic in Sudbury

Drivers on Southview Drive in Greater Sudbury are encountering the latest traffic calming measure for that street. They're called speed humps. The CBC's Megan Thomas joined us live from the speed humps on Southview Drive to tell us more about them.

The City of Sudbury is making another attempt to get drivers to slow down on a busy residential street in the south end.

Several long, flat, plastic "speed humps" are the latest effort to tame the traffic that routinely flows along Southview Drive. As part of the trial, a speed hump made of asphalt has also bee installed.

David Shelsted,director of roads for the City of Sudbury, said the temporary speed humps will be removed before the winter snowplowing season starts.

"These ones that we have installed on Southview three of the four are actually temporary and they will be removed for winter maintenance,"he said.

"If the residents vote on this being a permanentinstallation, then they would be installed using asphalt."

Traffic calming tricky

Several years ago, the city tried putting traffic calming islands in the middle ofSouthviewDrive.

They did not prove to be popular, so whenSouthviewwas torn up for infrastructurerepairs this year, residents were asked if they would like to try new options,Shelstedsaid.

Residents who voted indicated they would like to try the speed humps, he said.

Shelsted saidtraffic calming measures are tricky.

"Some people feel inconvenienced, so they will express their opinion on being inconvenienced and having to slow down, and the residents on the street will have an opinion on how that affects them," he said.

Speed humps are similar to speed bumps that are used in parking lots, but have a lower profile so they are not as disruptive to traffic. Shelsted said the trial on Southview Drive is the first time they have been used on a busier city street.

The city will also seek feedback from transit drivers and emergency services, Shelsted said.

If the feedback from the trial is positive, permanent asphalt speed humps will be installed on Southview Drive, and the temporary plastic speed ones will be tried in other ares of the city where traffic calming is needed.