Test drivers at a local dealership have been spotted going high speeds, almost hitting 95 km/h on Tower Drive, residents are complaining.
Manhattan Motorcars on Lawrence Avenue East give potential buyers the ability to test drive their cars. Because the dealership is located a block away, Tower Drive is a popular road for people to test drive their cars.
The maximum legal speed on Tower Drive is 65 km/h. A speed display sign on Tower shows some cars speeding up to 90 km/h, almost hitting 95 km/h.
Residents on Tower say this is a problem because many families who live in this neighborhood have kids who walk to school. Buchanan Public School is just north of Tower Drive.
Anna Morra, who is retired and has lived on Tower for more than 15 years, says she’s seen the impact speeders have had on the neighborhood, even before the speeding sign was located on her street.
“It’s mostly young drivers, ” she says, referring to the test drivers.
Manhattan Motors was contacted for comment but a representative said he did not want to discuss the issue,
Other residents said the speeding sign has had little effect on Tower Drive.
In 2016 the Watch Your Speed Program was introduced, which included the installation of these speed display signs. According to Eric Holmes, the city’s strategic communications director, the results of these speed display signs reflected effective results.
“The city is exploring the possibility of using the data collected to monitor the flow of traffic on the City’s road network,” he said in an interview. “But the results did not directly evaluate the effects on pedestrian safety.”
The city is continuing to monitor results to stop negative driving behaviour on the streets of Toronto, Holmes said.
“While it’s still early, staff are exploring potential programs and initiatives that would address speeding, and traffic calming.”