Our need for speed is alarming

It’s something that’s seen in Oshawa every day, but if the right people don’t see it, what can be done?

A group of residents on Ormond Drive in the city’s north end are having this feeling as they see cars speeding around the sharp bend in front of their homes.

Right across the street is a park where many parents drop off their children to attend class at Kedron Public School.

Further down the street is seniors housing.

During the latest development services committee meeting, one resident recalled an incident where a driver came around the bend and collided with a panel truck parked in front of his home.

The truck was pushed some 45 feet across the road and ended up on the grass.

The panel truck driver had literally walked away from his vehicle only a minute beforehand, avoiding the potential tragedy.

With increased traffic on the city’s arterial roads, more and more drivers are trying to find a faster way by taking to residential streets.

This was seen last year when a number of residents of Somerville Drive came forward with similar concerns.

Unfortunately, the police cannot be on every road in the city at all times, and while their presence seems to bring better driving habits for a moment, once they depart, the speeding begins again.

As one Ormond Drive resident asked at the committee meeting, will it take a serious injury or even death for action to happen?

The members of the committee were receptive to the concerns, and several councillors have visited the area several times in the past few weeks.

Councillors John Neal and Nester Pidwerbecki raised the valid point that despite constant warnings to slow down and drive safely, we are inundated with car commercials that show driving techniques that are flat out the opposite.

The province has granted municipalities the opportunity to install photo radars in school zones, but city staff says that program won’t likely be implemented fully until 2020.

It’s easy to understand Pidwerbecki’s frustration as he wondered out loud what the city can do now.

Whatever it is, it needs to be done sooner than later, because it is unlikely motorists will slow down on their volition.