Two Winnipeg city councillors tabled a motion Wednesday calling for reduced speeds in residential areas.
Councillors Ross Eadie and Harvey Smith said a new plan to reduce speed limits in elementary school zones doesn't go far enough. City council passed a plan to spend $1 million to put up signs reducing speed limits in school zones to 30 kilometres per hour.
Eadie and Smith said children don’t just spend time around schools so they want drivers to slow down throughout residential areas as well with the speed limit dropping from the current 50 km/h to 40 km/h in neighbourhoods.
“Quite truthfully, I'd like to reduce the speed limit even further but I think you have to compromise and 40 is a good compromise,” said Smith.
Edmonton is drafting a policy that would allow speed limits to be dropped to 40 km/h on residential roads.
Mayor Sam Katz, who championed the school-zone speed limit, said the idea is worth studying but added he’s unsure if it could be implemented city wide.
“There has been discussion in so many parts of the city – sometimes to raise the limit, sometimes to lower the limit,” said Katz.
“Forty is a reasonable speed. It’s not a snail’s pace. It should allow you to get through a residential area fairly quickly,” said Ritchie Strachen, a father in the River Heights area.
Some drivers, however, said 40 km/h would be too slow.
“I think it’s kind of pushing it. I think 50 is fine,” said Jennifer Winning.
“Whether people are going to follow the 40 speed limit is a whole other question because they’re so used to a 50 speed limit,” said Sara Man, a mother of two.
Mayor Sam Katz said if residents want the speed lowered on their residential street they can always get 75 per cent of the block on board to have speed humps installed.
The motion brought forward by Smith and Eadie will go to the public works committee in September. Smith said he will bring forward more information at that time.
The committee will decided if the idea should be studied further.
- with a report from CTV's Jeff Keele
