Residents split on need for lower speed limits
Edmonton residents are deeply divided over whether to reduce speed limits in local neighbourhoods, a touchy topic heading to council’s community services committee Wednesday.
A survey found 72 per cent of the 676 people stopped and questioned want residential speed limits dropped to 30 or 40 km/h, especially after they learned what that means to a person’s chance of surviving a crash.
But the report released Friday has a warning for councillors. Those who disagree tend to disagree on Edmonton’s entire new approach to traffic safety and livability. They “firmly believe Edmonton is and should remain a city built for cars.”
City councillors say Edmonton residents regularly complain about speeding and traffic in front of their homes — they’ve said it’s one of the most common complaints they hear at the door step.
Recent provincial legislation allows Edmonton to change its default speed limits in neighbourhoods, which are currently set to 50 km/ h everywhere unless signed differently. The change council has been debating for more than one year could see lower speed limits on residential roads, collector roads (i.e. bus routes) or both.
Gerry Shimko, head of the Office of Traffic Safety, said most serious collisions on residential and collector
roads involve people walking or biking being hit by a vehicle, rather than vehicle to vehicle.
Between 2012 and 2016, there were an average of 11 collisions that caused a person to be killed or hospitalized each year on Edmonton’s residential streets. Shimko’s team expects that to drop to seven injuries and no deaths if the new 30 km/h speed limits are brought in.
On collector roads, 22 people are hospitalized and one killed each year. That would drop to 14 people hospitalized and no one killed if the limit was reduced to 30 km/ h.
Coun. Tony Caterina, who sits on the committee, said he questions why speed reductions are needed now when downtown is the hot spot for pedestrian-involved collisions.
“Is it necessary? Is everything necessary that we’re trying to do?” Caterina said. “I have a sidewalk down my street. I feel safe. Cars can go as fast as they want.”