Peter Bundscherer says he loves living in Barrhead, but the one thing he isn’t crazy about is the condition of 55 Street.
That is what Bundscherer, who moved to Barrhead on April 1 from Hinton, told Town of Barrhead councillors during their July 10 meeting.
“Your town is very nice, your aquatics centre and splash park are absolutely fabulous and I absolutely love Cecil Martin Park, but 55th Street is just terrible,” he said.
Among Bundscherer’s complaints was the poor drainage, noting that every time it rains, the rubberized curb he has installed to decrease the elevation difference from the road and his driveway is swept away in a torrent of water.
“You [referring to mayor Dave McKenzie} drive by there every day,” he said. “There are big holes all over the place. I’m not saying you have to put in a new street; you just have to fix it.”
McKenzie said that, in preparation for Bundscherer’s visit, he spoke to public works director Brant Ross, who said the street is scheduled to be repaired next year and will be included as part of the department’s 2019 budget.
“Not for this year? Where is this year’s budget going to?” Bundscherer asked.
McKenzie noted the majority of this year’s street repair budget is devoted to the construction projects on 50 Avenue and Rodeo Way.
Bundscherer said the other issue he has with the street is the number of speeders, noting it isn’t uncommon to see driver’s go 20 or more kilometres over the posted 50 km/h limit.
“Put a sign up saying ‘slow down’ because it is dangerous; there are a lot of children who play there,” Bundscherer said.
McKenzie said he believed the issue of speeding was more of a perception issue because of the aforementioned condition of the road.
“In my previous career (with the RCMP and Alberta Office of Traffic Safety), I’ve done radar, and although there is a lot of perception that there is a lot of speeding (on 55th Street) it is actually very hard to navigate that particular street if you are going over 50 km/h,” he said.
McKenzie added the town’s peace officer Brandon Johnson hasn’t received any complaints about speeding on 55 Street.
