It may not be possible to put temporary speed cushions and bollards in school zones before the start of school, according to information delivered to council’s development and operations standing committee last night.
Members of council have asked staff to look at options for non-competitive procurement of the traffic calming equipment to speed up the process.
On June 3, council delivered marching orders to town staff, asking them to come up with temporary options to slow traffic in school zones with the intent of having those traffic calming mechanisms in place by Sept. 3.
Staff presented a plan last night (June 15) to the development and operations services standing committee that included flexible bollards, signs, and speed humps in the school zones.
By installing two or three speed humps (aka speed cushions) on the road, most cars will have to drive over the humps with one side of the vehicle. However, wide vehicles like fire trucks or buses would be able to straddle the cushion.
The town staff report notes the manufacturer claims the average vehicle speed over the speed humps is 32 km/h.
The flexible bollards would be installed at the sides and middle of the road leading to the speed cushions. Staff note they are there to provide “additional messaging” and also restrict the width of the road to force vehicles to slow down.
The report contemplates speed cushions, bollards, and signs at seven locations including near Admiral Collingwood Elementary School; Cameron Street Public School and Collingwood Collegiate Institute; Findlay Drive; Mountain View Elementary School; Our Lady of the Bay Catholic High School; Connaught Public School; and on Peel Street.
John Velick, manager of engineering services for Collingwood, told the standing committee last night (June 15) he spoke with two suppliers, one quoted a little less than $93,000 for the supplies and another came in with an estimate of nearly $200,000.
He and Peggy Slama, director of engineering, public works and environmental services, told council it was unlikely the materials could be ordered, delivered, and installed by Sept. 3. Their best-case scenario was Sept. 10 following a competitive procurement process, and provided there are no delays.
Slama said if council wants to order and install the bollards, cushions and signs on Findlay Drive only, they could skip a competitive procurement process because the purchase would be under $25,000 and probably shave two weeks off the time it would take to get the products.
But staff couldn’t confirm that would mean the items would be installed by Sept. 3.
“On a normal year, I would say it’s doable,” said Vellick. “But every project seems to have some kind of COVID delay … I don’t know if I can tell you anything with 100 per cent certainty.”
The staff report estimated the town could post a request for proposals by July 7, close the bidding process on July 28, then allow four weeks for delivery (August 25) and 2.5 weeks for installation, which would wrap up on Sept. 10.
Deputy Mayor Keith Hull said he didn’t want council to promise something in time for the school year and not be able to deliver.
“I can appreciate why we want to go through proper due diligence and proper process to make sure we’re getting good value for the dollars being spent, but at the same time, I’d really very much like to be able to deliver something for residents,” said Hull.
Councillor Kathy Jeffery said she was frustrated to see other municipalities getting things done quickly and asked staff to bring back options for a non-competitive procurement that does not involve a public request for bids prior to ordering in order to shorten the time it will take for the town to get the speed cushions and bollards.
Slama reminded council the speed cushions and bollards are seasonal, and would have to be removed in October because snow clearing isn’t possible while they are installed. They would be re-installed in May 2023 once the streets have been swept.
“Our interest would be to purchase something as quickly as possible, and then get it installed as soon as possible,” said Slama. “We do have some concern with installing something in September and then taking it away in October.”
The town is also speaking with local OPP about the possibility of a paid duty officer who would be assigned to patrol school zones only.
The matter will be up for discussion again at the next council meeting, with staff promising to bring options for non-competitive procurement of the traffic calming assets after reviewing the town's procurement bylaw and policies.
The town's purchasing/procurement bylaw and policies do allow for non-standard and/or non-competitive purchases in some cases. The town reports on these purchases annually. You can read more about the latest non-standard purchase report here.
Staff have also been asked to continue looking into permanent solutions to slow traffic in school zones.
