A pilot program to calm speeding traffic in Richmond will see two signs popping up where drivers can't, and shouldn't, miss them - right in the middle of the road.
The City of Richmond has teamed up with local resident Ken Thibault, who is the B.C. distributor for a Montreal-based technology solution company, which has already made the road signs being widely used in Eastern Canada and the U.S. Yesterday, the two, four-foot high, onefoot wide warning signs - telling drivers to slow down in a school zone - were erected in the centre of the road at crosswalks on Tweedsmuir Avenue, outside Maple Lane elementary in south Richmond.
The signs are specially designed to completely bend over and then spring back should they be clipped or, at worst, run over by an errant or worryingly inattentive driver.
City spokesperson Ted Townsend said the plan is to see how the signs work out, probably over the span of an entire school year, before looking at erecting more across similar danger spots in Richmond.
"They're designed to primarily address speeding issues in school zones," said Townsend, noting the signs are seasonal and can be easily removed and replaced depending on school vacation periods.
"Maple Lane especially has had issues with this and that's why we're trying out the signage there. We consulted with the fire department, the RCMP and the school district and all were supportive."
Townsend said the centre-of-the-road signage has been very effective in Eastern Canada, in particular Ottawa and Montreal.
It was in Montreal a year ago, while visiting a relative, that Thibault spotted the signs and then approached the City of Richmond on his return.
. Full story at richmond-news.com
