Childlike, plastic turtles holding orange flags that reminded drivers to slow down while travelling along High Street have been stolen.
Amy Vervoort awoke on Monday morning to find the playful awareness tools her family placed along the edge of their property have gone missing.
One of the three pieces Vervoort erected in the spring disappeared a few weeks ago. The other two have been kicked over on multiple occasions, their flags ripped out and thrown into the street.
She said passersby have kindly put the items back in place when they have found them vandalized but she lamented how her family expected the turtles would be stolen sooner or later.
“There is an overwhelming amount of senseless vandalism in Thunder Bay where you can put a hanging basket or some nice flowers out near the road and almost guarantee they’re going to get stolen or destroyed,” she said.
“We expected when we put them up so close to the road that they were likely to be taken and it didn’t take too long.”
An iron fence cordons Vervoort’s front yard from the back, where her toddler son Oliver played on Tuesday afternoon.
Through their garden and down the slope, a dull roar rose from the steady stream of cars and commercial traffic passing on High Street.
Vervoort said she'll likely replace the $40 symbols out of duty to keep her son and other pedestrians safe.
Mariday Park residents have been lobbying Thunder Bay City Hall to slow traffic between their neighbourhood and Hillcrest Park since a vehicle struck a woman and her dog while crossing High Street in March.
The city is considering developing a crossover at Bay Street or halfway up the block toward Beresford Street. Vervoort believes the stretch should be designated a community safety zone with a lower speed limit and pedestrian crossings.
“To me, the whole subject has become so overblown and just ridiculous at this point. It should be such a simple issue to create a safe environment for families and people to access a busy, public park,” Vervoort said.
“People are simply trying to access something we all enjoy. It should be a simple issue.”
