South Surrey resident James Cooper, who has spearheaded a neighbourhood campaign against speeding on 8 Avenue near Hazelmere Golf and Tennis Club and Hall’s Prairie Elementary, says he is “more than happy” with current City of Surrey and RCMP initiatives to tackle the problem.
A volunteer-staffed RCMP radar van stationed on 8 Avenue on July 3 recorded many drivers travelling above posted speed limits, he said, providing valuable data for both the police and the city.
“The volunteers were recording speeds in excess of 70 (km/h) in a 30 km zone,” he said.
Crucially, Cooper said, the deployment also provided a significant deterrent for lead-footed drivers just days after the city installed new signs along that stretch of the road.
Cooper gave credit to City of Surrey traffic manager Sinisa Petrovic for taking a personal interest in re-signing the area, which includes new signs pointing out hidden driveways, stop signs at the entrance to Hazelmere Golf and Tennis Club and new advance warning signs 100 metres in front of existing signage for the school zone.
“They’re clearly visible,” Cooper said. “Anyone who (says he) can’t see them is out to lunch.”
Cooper also credited RCMP Sgt. Gary Clark, “one of the senior traffic division sergeants” with stepping up enforcement of speed zones on 8 Avenue and elsewhere in South Surrey, through both regular RCMP presence and volunteer radar van deployment.
Attention is being paid not only to speeding but also distracted driver issues such as cellphone use, he said, and the public can also expect to see the radar van on such South Surrey streets as 32 Avenue, 16 Avenue and Zero Avenue where traffic accidents and speeding have been a particular concern.
“The volunteers are doing an incredibly good job,” Cooper said, noting that many have radar certification from the RCMP which means they could testify in court in contentious cases.