Five routes notorious for speeding in St. John’s will see permanent installation of speed bumps this year.

All five were selected following a trial run with temporary speed bumps last year.

They were taken up for the winter, and residents were surveyed about their effectiveness.

In the end, all five got at least the 60 per cent support needed for permanent traffic calming.

They include:

• Empire Avenue between Carpasian Road and Bonaventure Avenue;
• Toronto Street between Princess Anne Place and Edmonton Place;
• Vinnicombe Street between Larkhall Street and Baird Place;
• Ladysmith Drive between Kiwanis Street and Lady Anderson Street;
• and Durdle Drive between Main Road and Back Line;

Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary welcomed the new way they do it, compared to the old.

‘It’s been an absolute joy to go from the process that we used before, which was direct complaints from neighbours, to a very methodical, data-driven process,” she said. “Because we want to make sure that neighbourhoods have the ability to have their say and bring forward the concerns that they have, but we have many streets throughout the city, and there’s perception and reality. So having this done in a very methodical way I think is excellent.”

Staff are currently compiling a list of streets slated for temporary speed bumps this year.

They’re also working on ways to garner more responses to the traffic calming surveys, after poor percentages in some areas.