In May, Callander urged drivers to favour the brake over the gas as they rolled through town. The campaign’s name said it all – “Take it Slow.” Tired of speeders tearing up the town’s streets and concerned with the safety of residents and park goers – so many kids now at Centennial Park – the campaign was a reminder for drivers to stay slow.
See: Callander reminds you to slow your roll
To help gauge results, the municipality placed a radar sign on Main Street, next to Memory Tree Park. The speed is 40 kilometers per hour on this stretch, keep in mind.
Did people slow their roll? Or was the need for speed too great to resist?
Overall, 16 drivers exceeded 61 km an hour, and three vehicles exceeded 66 – no slow roll there. However, the average speed of the vehicles tracked was a cool 36 km per hour.
Of the 6,803 vehicles tracked, 85 per cent travelled at 45 km.
See: Callander revises community safety zone speeds
The campaign was deemed a success – “overall, not bad, Callander!” – municipal staff enthused. Yet, there are some who think more can be done. Commentators on the Municipality’s social media noted they would like to see that radar device placed near the Sunbeam Bungalows.
Few are slowing their roll in that area, one resident noted, suggesting that if the police got paid extra for issuing speeding tickets, they would make a fortune on that stretch of road.
One commentator suggested the town install bollards over the summer months on certain streets to stop people “racing like Nascar.”
And although the numbers are nice, people want to know what’s going to be done about those speeders? The police can’t be everywhere at once, so the municipality reminded residents to call the non-emergency OPP line to report speeding in their area.
The number is 1-888-310-1122.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
