By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle

Forget speed humps, “speed cushions” are the new idea to slow traffic down on Oliver’s roads. 

The Town of Oliver is still looking to take advantage of Vision Zero grants to implement traffic calming measures throughout the town. 

Council agreed to apply for a grant up to $9,500 to purchase and install two sets of speed cushions to make the town’s roads safer. 

A speed cushion is similar to a speed hump, except that it does not cover the entire road. It has space for a “middle lane” with a width designed to allow large vehicles such as a bus, ambulance or fire truck to pass through without difficulty. 

In Oliver’s traffic calming study, it notes that the disadvantages that come along with this is it can be a hazard to snowplows, and it can cause challenges around road maintenance. 

Sean Kennedy, manager of Public Works for Oliver explains that these traffic cushions are bolted down, so they can be moved from place to place if the town were to decide that traffic on roads need to be slowed in the summer months, but an alternative place may be better in the winter months. 

The Vision Zero grant is intended for communities to eliminate serious injuries or road fatalities. The town has decided to use this opportunity to purchase two sets of speed cushions for $7,000. 

Kennedy explained the town’s choice of “going with a cushion as opposed to a hump, allows for emergency vehicles to travel through that center lane, so they would not have slowed response times.” 

The Public Works department has received inquiries and observed speeding at six locations in the town. These are: 

  • Lakeside Drive (between Lakeview Place to just past Rotary Beach),
  • Merlot Avenue (between Lakeside Drive and Tuc el Nuit Road),
  • Eastside Avenue,
  • Spartan Street (between School Avenue and Fairview Road),
  • Gala (between School Avenue and Fairview Road), and
  • School Avenue (between Gala Street and Spartan Street).

Kennedy explained that the locations on Spartan St. and Lakeside Dr. would be the priority locations to place the new speed cushions. 

Councillor Terry Schafer commented that “having read through that TRUE Engineering report I was quite impressed with the cushion treatments.” Further noting their innovative solution for allowing emergency vehicles through. 

This is a new application to Vision Zero and has nothing to do with the previous applications. 

If successful these new speed cushions will be in addition to the already agreed upon raised crosswalks at the intersection of Fairview Road and Dividend Street/Panorama Crescent, and McKinney Road at Coyote Street. 

This application is focused solely on traffic calming and not active transportation infrastructure which is why crosswalks are not a necessary part of this project. 

The total cost of the project would amount to $12,000. The two sets of speed cushions will cost $7,000. Public works time for installation of the units is $2,500. The grant work, including application, mid-term report, final report, and project evaluation equals $1,500. A final $1,000 of GST brings the cost to $12,000. 

There will also be time to be determined for BC Ambulance and Oliver Fire Department to test the system to determine it was installed properly.