This summer, city staff will consider more permanent traffic calming tools such as speed tables

If you regularly drive on Base Line near R.M. Moore Public School, be aware the city has you in its sights to cut down on speeding. 

Ward 1 Coun. Sonny Spina and Ward 5’s Matthew Scott tried unsuccessfully at Monday night’s council meeting to keep flexible traffic bollards off Base Line.

Their attempt failed by a six-to-four vote, with Couns. Luke Dufour, Spina, Scott and Stephan Kinach voting for it, and Couns. Angela Caputo, Corey Gardi, Lisa Vezeau-Allen, Marchy Bruni, Ron Zagordo and Mayor Matthew Shoemaker against.

Councillors were told that planned bollard installations last year didn’t happen, so this year’s list is essentially the same as last year’s.

Here’s the list of locations approved on Monday


Shannon Rd. – Wellington St. East to Capp Ave.
Lake St. – MacDonald Ave. to McNabb St.
Pine St. – MacDonald Ave. to McNabb St; Willoughby St. to Northern Ave.
Fourth Line West – Aronson Dr. to Peoples Rd. with paved shoulder improvements
Base Line (possibly) near R.M. Moore Public School

“This summer, staff will focus on developing a plan for the installation of more permanent traffic calming tools such as speed tables,” said Maggie McAuley, the city’s manager of design and transportation.

“Where appropriate, speed tables will be proposed to replace the flexible bollards or other prioritized locations,” McAuley said in a report to Mayor Shoemaker and ward councillors.

“Public consultation of the locations will be undertaken, and installation will proceed by operations staff or future miscellaneous construction programs.”

Speed tables are midblock traffic calming devices that raise the entire wheelbase of a vehicle to reduce its traffic speed.

They are longer than speed humps and flat-topped, with a height of up to 3.5 inches and a length of 22 feet.

Speaking about the bollards on Base Line, a known high-speed area, Coun. Spina said: “We know that these ones, I want to know if they’re on the list. Because we know that they do create a traffic disruption over there, where pedestrians and cyclists are put in direct conflict with motor vehicles, and I don’t want to see that continue this year.”