After two recent vehicle collisions at the same location in Battleford, putting up a guard rail or barrier of some other kind to prevent further property damage is being investigated.
Last week, Battleford town council received two letters and one delegation on the issue of protecting property from damage and avoiding potential fatalities where 35th Street, coming northwest up the hill from the Flats, curves directly east.
Administration is already looking into it, said Mayor Derek Mahon, and they will be coming back to council with some possibilities. It will be necessary to look at property lines and road right of ways to see what might work, he said.
At one time there was a wooden, striped barrier there, said the mayor, adding there have to be better options than that to consider now.
The issue was raised with a letters from homeowners at that location.
Brian and Janet Nehring requested in their letter that council consider a barrier to restrict access to their yard by speeding vehicles after having damage done to their property and belongings at 2 – 3rd Ave. W., located just past the curve in the road. In the last five years, there have been three alcohol-related incidents in which speeding vehicles have crashed into their yard.
In all three cases, the vehicles involved were traveling uphill and lost control at the curve.
The two most recent incidents, Oct. 30, 2014 and Jan. 30 of this year have combined to destroy the Nehrings’ front yard landscaping, fencing and a boat and motor as well as damage their vehicle and their house, said the letter.
“It would be unrealistic to even attempt to re-landscape our front yard without some type of structural device at the southeast corner of our yard that would deter traffic entrance to our yard site,” said the letter. “On all three occasions entrance to the yard occurred at exactly the same location.”
A second letter was received from the Nehrings’ neighbours from across the street at 302-35th St., Victor and Kanndece Quijada-Sawitsky, who also attended the meeting to speak to the issue.
They, too, would like to see a guardrail placed on 35th Street between Riverbend Crescent and 3rd Avenue.
Of the last two incidents caused damage to their property as well.
In their letter, Victor said, “The collision on Oct. 30, 2014 occurred around 2 a.m. and affected my property when a vehicle driving at great speed ran into my front yard. It destroyed shrubs and uprooted a 15-foot pine tree before coming to a stop.”
The vehicle came within 10 feet of hitting the house.
The letter went on to say, “Prior to damaging my property, the vehicle passed through my neighbour’s front yard hitting a boat on a trailer and a spruce tree around 25 feet thick.”
They had the damaged assessed and will be filing for restitution through the court system, but another incident has caused further worry.
“I was optimistic about having my yard cleaned and re-landscaped in the spring and was moving forward from the troubling event. The second collision Jan. 30, 2015 reawakened my concerns,” wrote Victor. “The incident affected my neighbour’s home located at 2-3rd Avenue, which is directly across from my home. I argue that without that, the vehicle would have ended up in my property because of excessive speed and the trajectory of the collision.”
He added, “I am greatly concerned that my home is in danger of a collision in the future. I worry that because of the curve in the road, a vehicle crash will result in damaging my family room and injure or kill my family and myself. The trajectory of both collisions was in direct line with my home.”
In remarks after the letter was read, Victor said the neighbourhood had got together and talked after the first incident several years ago. At that point they were concerned about property values, but thought, “What are the chances it will ever happen again?”
The same discussion arose with the October incident, and after the January incident, concerns were about more than property.
“At this point it’s not about property value, it’s about safety,” he said.
As a neighbourhood, they can’t stop everyone from drinking and driving, he pointed out, so their best option is to protect themselves and their families.
“In that sense,” he added, “it also doesn’t help the fact that there is a pedestrian walkway with children and an ice rink there.”
