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Frustrated Severn Township resident Richard Cordery is taking action against speeding drivers on Fairgrounds Road.
Cordery says drivers travel at high speeds through the 60 km/h zone in front of his home daily. He has purchased a speed radar sign in the hopes of protecting his two dogs and his neigbours, whose driveways are less visible.
“I’m worried about the overall safety of our community,” he said. “If I can slow a few people down here, maybe I can slow them down on other roads as well.”
When people pull into Cordery’s driveway to ask for directions, he always asks them to turn around in his driveway instead of backing out.
“If somebody was backing out of my driveway while someone was going 110, they would be getting hit,” he said.
He has informed the township of his sign; he says he spoke to Derek Burke, director of public works.
“He said the No. 1 complaint, by far, is speeding on our roads,” Cordery said. “They did have a speed sign just up the road from me last year for a little while, but they only have so many of them and have to move them to different spots.”
Cordery took it upon himself to purchase a sign for more than $3,000 and permanently install it on his busy street.
“It wasn’t a cheap thing,” he said. “It is basically the exact sign that the township orders. It’s the real deal.”
Cordery has already clocked a driver travelling on Fairgrounds Road at 109 km/h. He says he will keep a log of the high speeds and will forward it to the OPP.
“I’ll ask them to put some more guys on radar down here at the times when people are speeding by,” he said.
The sign has already made a difference, Cordery says, as some of the regular speeders who commute on the road daily are starting to slow down.
“There is a guy who rips by every morning who has been going past here really fast,” he said. “Once I put the sign up, he’s been going past in between 59 and 64.”
Tracy Roxborough, communications officer for the Township of Severn, said in a statement to OrilliaMatters the township is committed to addressing concerns regarding excessive speeds.
“The public works department has employed the use of traffic-calming measures which aim to reduce speeds, such as flexible delineator posts which serve as visual obstacles, portable radar feedback signs, and roadside signage placed in residential areas that remind drivers to travel with caution,” she said.
“Addressing community safety matters such as traffic safety, speed concerns, and residential complaints form a part of the township’s strategic plan and is a priority for council.”
Roxborough encourages residents to visit severn.ca/slowdown to learn more about the traffic-calming measures used throughout the township.