The community of Riversong is calling for drivers in their community to slow down, and they’re hoping that some strollers will help draw attention to the issue.
The community is putting together an event to bring awareness to the high amount of speeders they say are in their neighbourhood. The Cochrane River Heights Community Association is inviting residents to join them in a stroller visual demonstration Oct. 15, where residents are invited to put strollers on their front lawn or driveway.
Kelly Plourde is the president of the association and said she has been receiving complaints for years now, even before she was president.
She said they are hoping people will take note of the visual and make an effort to slow down in the community.
“We wanted to do something different,” said Plourde of the stroller visual. “The idea popped in my head and everyone rallied behind it.”
Plourde said that the main complaint she hears from residents is that they are unable to even get out of their cars and let their children run up to their front doors. She said they are too afraid about how fast people are driving by and they are always holding their children’s hands to walk to their front door.
The fact that residents aren’t comfortable in front of their own house was something that was upsetting to Plourde.
The street where speeding has been a major issue, according to Plourde, is outside of Bow Valley High School along River Heights Drive.
Plourde explained that James Walker Trail loops in front of the Cochrane Toyota Dealership and then turns into River Heights Drive.
This road eventually passes Bow Valley High School where it goes from 50 km/h to 30 km/h in front of the school.
“Whenever RCMP are there, they will probably ticket 10 or 15 people within the hour,” she said. “It is not labeled as a play zone or a school zone or anything, it just is a 30 zone.”
Plourde pointed out that Riversong has a large number of youth in the community and she connected the idea of youth to the visual of strollers.
Having the visual is something Plourde said she felt was safer than having residents out on the street yelling and more effective than sitting back and complaining.
“This is, I hope, a strong enough visual and it is a strong statement from the entire neighbourhood – slow down,” she said. “Ultimately it is doing something.”
They are hoping to collect 100 strollers for the day and so far have collected about 20 per cent of their goal.
Following the event, all strollers will be donated to Women In Need Calgary.
Plourde said that the speeding issue is one of the Top 3 reasons that the community association was formed – the other two being the gravel hall road issue and dealing with James Walker Trail with residents complaining about lack of trees and quality of the road.
She said the town has ordered lights for a crosswalk at the entrance of Bow Valley High School, but have told Plourde the lights have been waiting in a warehouse since April.
“I haven’t got a straight answer as to why they can’t put it in,” she explained. “I think that will be a main deterrent when a huge flashing light crosswalk goes in and it will help slow people down.”
To donate strollers call Plourde at 403-519-4685 or drop them off at 5 River Heights Green.
