A 35th Street resident in Battleford is concerned for the well being of his family and property after a pair of vehicle incidents over the past year.
“There were two accidents, almost three months apart to the date, in October and January,” he said. “We’ve had several vehicles speeding up the hill on 35th. After the second incident, my neighbour proposed to the Town of Battleford to have a guardrail of some kind installed or look at things like speed bumps.”
He says his pleas to the Town have gone unanswered.
“We’ve noticed more people driving crazy around here, and I guess we’re still waiting for action from the Town of Battleford,” he said. “We were told after the second incident they would look at the options, but so far no action has been taken so the concern still remains.”
These aren’t minor incidents, either.
“My neighbour ended up losing his boat and also his truck was damaged after a collision,” he said. “One of the vehicles came through his front yard and ended up wedged between two trees in my yard, narrowly missing my house. “
Perhaps stating the obvious, he says speed is the main factor.
“We have police reports that show speeds in excess of 120 km/h coming up the hill,” he said. “This was in dry weather too, not in winter. Reports show there is also alcohol involved. It’s a community neighbourhood, there are children around and there’s a school bus that comes through to pick up children as well, so we have enormous concerns.”
He says a guardrail could prevent vehicles from jumping the curb and coming near any property.
“As the curb comes up, there’s an area where if a guardrail was installed, vehicles would follow along the road,” he explained. “So they would hit the guardrail before they came into properties.”
He says the repeated indecision to put up any sort of barrier between the road and houses is disappointing.
“It’s been disheartening because we want something done and we were hoping that by spring something would be done about it,” he said. “Now we’re late into summer and the concern is still there. I have a playroom downstairs that is in the direct line of a possible incident. I have two young kids, so I’m just thinking we need some help.”
