George Harrod is hoping to put the brakes on traffic calming measures in London until a more effective and collaborative solution can be found.

The Bruce Street resident says speed cushions that were installed along the one-way street between Wharncliffe Road and Wortley Road in 2016 have had the reverse effect for which they were intended, with drivers skirting the cushions or speeding up.

"This is the first one-way street in London that they have approached with speed cushions, and boy do they have a lot to learn at our expense," said Harrod.

Bruce Street currently has four speed cushions between Wharncliffe Road and Wortley Road. The speed limit is 50 km/h.

According to a city document, traffic calming measures are "the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behaviour and improve conditions for non-motorized street users."

Harrod sees much different results. He admits a small number of drivers do slow down, but says the flawed design of the cushions causes other drivers to speed up.

"They're not very tall, they're not very big and they're not very imposing," Harrod said about the speed cushions.

"You do one of two things if you want to defeat them -- you straddle your vehicle in the gaps, or you simply go faster. I don't know the law of physics behind this, but ultimately, the faster you go, the less impact those cushions have on your vehicle's suspension system."

Harrod also raised his observation that drivers who do slow down tend to speed up to make up time between the other cushions. Speed cushions were also added to the street's bike lane in an attempt to keep drivers from entering it.

According to an email from the city, traffic was monitored along Bruce Street in 2013 before the speed cushions were installed and the average speed was 42 km/h. A follow-up study was conducted in June, 2017, and showed the average speed dropped by 5 km/h to 37 km/h.

Affecting quality of life

Harrod has been raising concerns around speed cushions over the past year by talking to neighbours, emailing city staff and council, documenting his research on a website and conducting his own neighbourhood survey.

"We have a major problem here on Bruce Street and in the entire city," he said. "What are city councillors doing about it? Frankly, nothing. We're all caught up in BRT."

And the danger he sees in front of his own house has caused Harrod to avoid his front porch.

"My home has a lovely porch, it's a period house, I put a lot of time and money into it. I don't sit on the front porch any more, it's just too frustrating," he said.

"I can't, because the speed cushion is right there and the intersection is right there. Either someone is going to get hit at the intersection or a pedestrian is going to get killed and I don't want to see it."

Finding a solution

While Harrod isn't bringing a solution to the table, he hopes that by raising his concerns, the community can work together with the city to find a suitable compromise.

Traffic calming devices installed on Bruce Street between Wortley Road and Ridout Street in London, Ont. (Travis Dolynny/CBC)

London has installed temporary lane restricting markers on Bruce Street between Wortley Road and Ridout Street in an attempt to calm traffic.

There are also streets with speed limits lowered to 40 km/h and speed monitoring displays that can alert drivers when they are exceeding the limit.

In the mean time, Harrod says he's not opposed to having the speed cushions removed. In order for that to happen, the same number of residents who voted for the traffic calming measures would have to agree to having them removed.

The CBC has reached out to the ward 11 councillor for comment.