Residents sign petition in bid to slow down speeding drivers before someone gets hit

Avondale residents are so sick of drivers speeding through their neighbourhood they have started a petition in a bid to crack down on it.

The petition, which was signed by 37 people, was presented to the Coastal-Burwood Community Board this week by the Avondale Residents’ Association.

General anti-social behaviour associated with drivers, such as speeding and burnouts at night, are just some of the concerns residents want authorities to address.

Said Kathy Simmons, on behalf of the association at the board’s meeting: “We, the undersigned, residents of Briarmont St, would like to express our concerns regarding the constant and ongoing speeding drivers through our residential street and adjoining streets in Avondale.”

Avondale Neighbours Group spokesman and Briarmont St resident Mike Gibbs said the community wanted judder bars and traffic cameras installed to slow drivers down. 

Pets had already been hit by “boy racers” travelling too fast on Briarmont St.

Residents are concerned it would be a person or child next - even Gibbs himself was nearly struck by a blue mini-van while on the footpath.

Taking photos of offending vehicles in the act as evidence has proved difficult as most incidents occur when it is dark.

But since the Burwood Pegasus Community Watch stepped up its presence in Avondale, residents felt safer as incidents became less frequent.

“We’re all concerned about this, hopefully, there will be action at some point,” Gibbs said.

Community board chairman Kelly Barber understood the problem after witnessing it himself.

But he is concerned the issue may become another community’s problem when steps were taken to reduce it in Avondale.

“The best thing we can do is identifying those vehicles, taking photos of cars and reporting incidents [to police].”