More “speed cushions” have been added to residential streets in Saint John, N.B. The traffic calming measures have popped up over the past few days on Champlain Drive, Mountain Road and Kennebecasis Drive. Speed cushions – a strip of three spaced out elevated surfaces along a roadway – are designed to reduce the speed of most vehicles while allowing emergency vehicles to pass through with limited impact. The city said additional speed cushions will be added to Hawthorne Avenue in the coming weeks. “Speed cushions have been shown to significantly reduce speeding on Saint John streets by an average of 9 km/h, resulting in a 28 per cent reduction in the risk of collisions,” said a city statement. “Demand for these measures continues to grow, with traffic calming requests received from the public over the last five years increasing by more than 400 per cent compared to the previous four-year period.” CTV News Atlantic spoke to several residents who said the new speed cushions were both welcomed and needed. “It’s the best thing they ever did,” said Jamie Nason, pointing to one of the new installations. “(Drivers) are flying up and down here. You can be standing here and nobody stops for the crosswalk.” Linda Dwyer said she hoped the speed cushions would help to deter the number of people speeding through her eastside neighbourhood. “It will definitely make the neighbourhood safer,” she said. The city accepts public requests for neighbourhood traffic calming measures through an online form. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
