Residents of the Kressview Springs condos in Preston have had to make white-knuckle left turns onto King Street for decades.
But Darleen and Paul Brauen say those hazards doubled when the Region of Waterloo installed a multi-use cycling path at the foot of King Street West.
Now the couple is urging the region to implement traffic-calming measures before someone is seriously injured or killed.
Their fears were almost realized recently when a resident nudged his pick up truck across the trail to get a better view of approaching cars. At the same time, a cyclist flew down the hill and around the bend, slammed into the side of the truck and was thrown from his bike.
Luckily, he wasn't seriously injured, but Darleen says it's proof that since the trail was installed, danger for residents lurks much closer than the roadway.
With compromised sightlines and drivers forced to gauge traffic from multiple directions as cyclists and scooters come down the hill at speeds of up to 30 km/hr, accidents like the one described are bound to happen more frequently, she says.
Real estate signs posted at the corner have reduced sightlines even further; a hazard Darleen says she's planning to raise with the condo board in the hope they'll be moved back from the road.
Another safety concern is something the condominium residents have been dealing with for decades.
Turning left onto King Street West from the Kressview Springs means drivers have to make it across a turning lane, a bus lane and two through lanes while watching for cars whipping around the corner in the westbound lanes and through the turn lane from Fountain.
Many residents have become so frustrated with making that turn, they'll often turn right, drive up Fountain, turn around and come back down the hill to go into Preston.
"These guys come around here so fast," Paul says, looking toward the bend before the entrance to Riverside Park.
"People see the light and they couldn't care less. They gun it," Darleen says, describing how she was almost rear ended last week while coming home in the dark.
A driver following too close behind her had to slam on his brakes as she slowed to go home. "He was just flying right behind me," she says, explaining that he likely thought her right turn indicator was for the turn on Fountain Street instead of the driveway.
Paul says a small sign telling drivers not to block their driveway is also hard to notice and rarely obeyed.
The Brauens reached out to the region with their concerns when the bike trail was installed, but they never heard back.
But after hearing the tragic news about a pedestrian fatality on Pinebush Road a few weeks ago, Darleen says she wanted to take whatever steps she could to prevent the same thing from happening again.
On the trail, the Brauens are suggesting the region install yield signs on both approaches to alert cyclists about the danger of crossing the driveway at speed.
On the bend coming from downtown, they suggest a flashing amber light and a 40 km/hr speed limit will help caution drivers to slow down.
The same could happen on Fountain Street.
They also believe a larger sign and road markings are necessary to keep drivers from blocking their driveway.
Ultimately, the couple knows the region will have to do something to improve traffic safety along the stretch with a three-tower condominium project coming to 255 King St. W. and a redevelopment proposal in the works for Preston Springs.
A roundabout proposed for the King and Fountain intersection a decade ago could be resurrected, Paul says. A property for sale across the street also holds potential for a road realignment.
Regional councillor Doug Craig agrees the area is hazardous and says he will escalate the couple's concerns with regional staff.
He has also reached out to Ward 1 councillor Helen Shwery, hoping they can work together to address the concerns.
The city councillor says she's well aware of how dangerous and difficult it is exiting from the condos onto King Street due to traffic volume and speed, and believes it's only going to get worse as traffic at that intersection increases.
"This was not thought out properly by previous councils," she wrote in an email to CambridgeToday.
In an email to CambridgeToday late Friday afternoon, Matthew Davis, director of transportation services for the region, said the region understands the safety concerns of the Kressview Springs Condominiums and will be looking to connect with the community to find solutions that improve safety along the stretch for people accessing their homes.
He also said regional staff is reviewing the traffic impacts of the proposed development at the former Preston Springs property at 102 Fountain Street South.
"We are working with the City of Cambridge and the developer to explore ways to mitigate traffic impacts on area residents, including but not limited to the consideration of alternative site access."
