Gentlemen, stop your engines!

By Heather Matthews

When we bought our house on King Edward Avenue two years ago, we were well aware of the traffic situation and all the noise and potential danger of such a busy street. We tried to balance these negatives against the desire to remain downtown on a relatively small budget, we were moving into a very pretty stone house, and it was already decided that the 40 km/h limit would be supported by a speed camera! 

When it was first installed, we watched as drivers acclimatized to the new technology.  Dog walking after dark was an amusing outing as the camera flashed non-stop and we mused about how much money the city would be taking in. Better to get it from people who are flaunting the law than by raising our taxes after all.

Gradually the new reality set in and, unfortunately for motorists, it was an expensive lesson. Keep in mind that the speed limit has been 40 km/h for a very long time! The slower traffic meant that our house didn’t shake as much when the eighteen wheelers drove past and (this is a big one) it was safer to back out of our laneway.

I am a senior and grew up and have lived almost all of my life just across the Minto Bridges. I remember as a child when my grandfather would drive us home from church downtown along King Edward which I thought was the most beautiful of streets. It had a wide median strip with huge trees creating archways on either side. It had a round-about (one of only a couple in Ottawa).

 am also aware of all the ins and outs of the fight to prevent the truck traffic from dissecting Overbrook and New Edinburgh on its directly aligned route to the new Macdonald-Cartier Bridge. I can remember my mother standing in our kitchen on Victoria Street with the radio on, listening to the news as they debated the wisdom of a Kettle Island bridge to deal with trucks getting to the Québec side from the Queensway. It’s at least 50 years ago! My usually soft-spoken mother, who was reluctant to share her opinions yelled out “They’ll wait until the east end is all built up and everyone out there is opposed to a bridge and then they can fight with them. Just build the damn thing now!”

I was upset when I heard that the camera would be removed of course. I wasn’t expecting a noticeable difference in speeds right away though. But the first morning of the new reality, I was awakened by a rumbling sound that alarmed me. I looked out to see what was going on. I was amazed that so many drivers were aware that the camera had been disabled and were driving away over the limit. By 8:00 am, it was less noticeable as the traffic was slowed by the sheer volume. All the benefits of the 40 km/h have evaporated. The house shakes all day long and there’s a noticeable increase in horn honking!

I get it!  Forty km/h feels very slow. The truckers, on their way to Québec have just negotiated the horrors of the Nicholas Street, Rideau Street, and King Edward maze, and with the bridge in sight and a clear run to it, it’s natural to want to put their foot down (although personal cars and pick-ups are by far the worst offenders).

If I had another 50 years, I’d expect to see a Kettle Island bridge. In the meantime, I can only hope for some improvements. First, just put the damn camera back! Then, plant some very hardy hedging down the centre median. The roots of the former glorious trees caused great upheaval to the pavement but hedges would help to absorb sound, be a visual reminder to drivers that they’re in a neighbourhood, and possibly reduce jay walking. And they would make me and I’m sure most residents feel better about their neighbourhood and that’s not nothing!

Oh yes, and I’d pray for a city council with a little imagination.