Parents call for better safety signage
Traffic moving too fast in Niven playground areas, say young families
Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Published Friday, July 11, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Parents on Moyle Drive feel area traffic should be forced to slow down and are asking for better signage to help enforce the issue.
The speed limit for most of the street is 45 km/h. However, there are two playground zones where drivers are expected to slow down to 30 km/h.
"The traffic at the end of a work day should be going around 45 km/h, but often it is closer to 60 km/h," said Lindsay Arseneau, a stay-at-home mom who lives on the street with her husband, Marc, and one-year-old son, Felix.
"It is just an accident waiting to happen, especially after the Kam Lake incident," she added, referring to the death of Sana'a Michael Christensen-Blondin, 2, who was killed in May when he was hit by a car.
Moyle Drive juts out of Haener Drive and runs uphill and around a loop past Niven Heights before reconnecting with the drive again.
Arseneau says because it is a local street and doesn't go anywhere, some of the speeds she sees should not be tolerated.
Christina Chakanyuka, who bought a home a year ago next door to Arseneau, lives with her husband and three children - a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and a baby.
She said she agrees there are a lot of young families in the area and a playground zone would be helpful.
"As well, with the number of people that do park on the street in this area, it would be easy for a small child to run out in front of traffic without them seeing them," said Chakanyuka.
Chakanyuka said some of the traffic she sees are large construction vehicles carrying gravel "faster than I would feel comfortable with."
As a result, the family is building a fence in the backyard to keep their children safe.
"I think signage would be great, and I think there is good signage around the nearby (Cornerstone Pentecostal) Church, but I am not sure there is around these playground areas," she said. "You can't control whether people would follow those signs or not, but the reminder is a good thing."
Both families live conveniently between two playgrounds - one at the top of the hill and another at the bottom. The newer one at the top of the hill has a sharp curb with no signage and no crosswalk, which Arseneau said makes the area dangerous when she wants to cross the street with her son.
Both families say the area is a very good one to raise a young family, particularly because there are so many other families in the area who provide a close-knit, neighbourhood feel.
Arseneau and Chakanyuka both said, however, there are often children playing hockey or basketball in the streets or are out and about walking, which calls for stronger safety protocols for traffic.
Ultimately, Arseneau said she would like to see broader playground zones where vehicles would be forced to slow down and perhaps some large speed bumps like those used in neighbourhoods down south.
Attempts to reach the city were unsuccessful by press time.
