The next day I spotted the first speed hump being completed and now a few more have been completed.
I always wonder how much value speed humps have. Hawtin Street is certainly used frequently by traffic trying to avoid the bottleneck at the local Apple Peel (Williamsons Road and Porter Street). I can't help feeling if they simply removed the roundabout and put in traffic lights, it would make the traffic flow better and make it safer for residents in the local area.
It concerns me that there is no way for the children or residents in the area around Hawtin Street, to walk to the local shops at Templestowe Village and know they are safe from traffic. The traffic lights at Foote Street and Williamsons Road have slip lanes and my observation is most people are too busy speeding around the corners to pay any attention to pedestrians. In my mind it is only a matter of time before there is a serious injury or possibly a fatality as a result of the slip lanes. At least if they put in traffic lights at the Apple Peel (without slips lanes please), there is a chance for local residents to get across the road safely.
The area of Hawtin Street where they are putting in the speed bumps is an issue with the local oval. Often cars are parked on both sides and it is an very long journey before a break on some days with cars often doing a face-off.
Sometimes I wonder if speed humps are just a way for the council to keep itself busy. As a local resident I certainly had no knowledge the road works would occur and I think, given there are roughly 200 households, which isn't that many, that are directly affected, the council could have taken the time and effort to consult with local residents.
I wonder what others think. Are speed humps a waste of rate payers' money and a way for council to keep busy, or do others find they serve a useful purpose?
Kelvin Eldridge
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