New speed bumps in a parking lot at a popular Coquitlam seniors' centre are rubbing many residents the wrong way.
But the city says the traffic-calming measures at Dogwood Pavilion are needed to stop the late-night revellers from spinning their wheels.
In emails to city hall and The Tri-City News this week, patrons of the Poirier Street Farmers' Market say the bumps aren't safe for shoppers wanting to get around — especially those with strollers, walkers or wheelchairs.
Today (Thursday), Perry Staniscia, Coquitlam's general manager of strategic initiatives, said the 17 speed bumps plus the wheel stops went in last week following an outcry from neighbours about noise and disruption.
The problem erupted last spring and, since then, city officials and Coquitlam Mounties have been monitoring the Winslow Avenue parking lot. The complaints centre on teens racing their vehicles and doing donuts in the early-morning hours, Staniscia said.
Last month, when the illegal activity started up again, the city decided to take action and had police identify where the bumps could be placed. "If we didn't do something, it would just continue," Staniscia said.
The city spent $13,000 to install the bumps and wheel stops; however, after meeting with the Poirier Street farmers' market organizer, Tabitha McLoughlin, on Wednesday, some modifications are expected be made to the wheel stops to help shoppers access the vendors' stalls.
"We heard them loud and clear," Staniscia said of the numerous residents who wrote in or called the city to complain about the bumps.
Still, Staniscia said the city has no intention to remove them. "Hopefully, [the party-goers] have learned their lesson and have gone away," he said.
The Poirier Street Farmers' Market is the longest-running suburban farmers' market in the Lower Mainland, happening on Sunday mornings from May to October.
McLoughlin did not return a request for comment before The News' print deadline.
