ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Kenmount Terrace has its share of traffic concerns.
Ward councillor Ian Froude said high speeds, traffic volumes and worries about safety are issues that residents of the St. John's neighbourhood would like to have resolved.
But what they don’t want to see is a repeat of a roundabout pilot project that was installed in the summer of 2017.
At the time, The Telegram spoke with residents of Great Eastern Avenue near Petite Forte Drive who were frustrated with the roundabout that was installed at the three-way intersection. One resident had to drive over the roundabout’s road-narrowing pads in order to back into his driveway, causing traffic to back up in the process.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with folks up there over the past year and a half on traffic issues, and I think it’s crystallizing into a desire for speed bumps." — Coun. Ian Froude
Large vehicles would drive up over the pads in order to get through the narrow section, and some residents lost on-street parking spots because of the installation.
The project was scrapped in 2018 because of negative feedback from residents. At the time, council deferred a decision about what else it could do to address the traffic concerns until Froude could speak with the police and residents about what they would like to see.
During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Froude said he’d like the issue put back on council’s agenda within the next couple of weeks. He said he expects it will be discussed Sept. 21.
“It’s an ongoing issue that I just want to bring closure to,” he told The Telegram.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations with folks up there over the past year and a half on traffic issues, and I think it’s crystallizing into a desire for speed bumps, which is what I’m hoping will be put in place, or at least referred to our capital budget for conversation around putting speed bumps there.
“But what I’ll be asking for once we discuss it again is a solution from staff on how we can address the issue without putting a roundabout in place.”