Langley Township council will consider spending $103,000 on traffic calming measures in Walnut Grove after a child was struck and injured by a car recently.
On Monday, April 29, a report to council will recommend skipping the public consultation step and constructing a series of speed humps and curb delineator bulges – which narrow the roadway slightly – in several areas along a mile of roadways between 208th Street and 216th Street.
The report said the route includes 87th Avenue, 209th Street, 85th Avenue, and Telegraph Trail.
Those roads make up a route that lets drivers avoid 88th Avenue when heading east-west through Walnut Grove. The area is a residential neighbourhood that includes Alex Hope Elementary.
On Sunday, April 14, a nine-year-old boy was hit by a car in the 21500 block of Telegraph Trail. Police say he darted into traffic, and the driver stayed at the scene. The child was taken to hospital, where he spent time in the intensive care unit.
On Thursday, April 25 Mayor Eric Woodward posted about the traffic calming measures on his Facebook page.
“A recent traffic incident on Telegraph Trail in Walnut Grove could have been so much worse,” Woodward wrote. “More drivers are using the area to transit between 216 and 208 Streets. Council and staff have acted quickly, with traffic calming measures to slow traffic and improve safety already prepared for council.”
There are already a number of traffic calming measures along the route, including speed humps along 87th Avenue and 209th Street, and a number of speed humps near Alex Hope Elementary.
The Township plan would add eight more speed humps and 12 curb bulges, all of them build as “curb delineators,” which are cheaper and simpler to install than pouring new concrete curbs.
Traffic on either end of the route from 87th Avenue to Telegraph Trail has increased in recent years, with the opening of the 216th Street Interchange
Council was scheduled to consider the report on the afternoon of April 29, after press deadlines. Watch langleyadvancetimes.com for updates.
- This story has been updated with new information about the child’s age and medical condition after the collision.