Support grows on council for 30 km/h limit

‘It’s just going to irritate the hell out of people like me,’ resident says

School zones, playground zones — now several councillors are lobbying to reduce speed limits to 30 km/h on all local, residential roads.

“There’s a strong desire to do something on those local roads,” said Ward 8 Coun. Ben Henderson, suggesting council should act now and study speed limits on larger collector roads (such as bus routes) later.

City officials said 72 per cent of residents they surveyed want speeds reduced on local roads, and support for that reduction was consistent, from mature neighbourhoods to suburbs.

But council also got a taste of the opposition out there.

“It’s just going to irritate the hell out of people like me,” said Greg Zawaski, a Mill Woods resident who estimates he’s paid $3,000 in fines since the school zones were brought in. “You can’t go anywhere without getting a ticket.”

Community members turned out to argue both sides of the debate at council’s community services meeting Wednesday. Council won’t vote on the idea until next Tuesday.

Anna Ho, chair of the non-profit Paths for People, said her mother-in-law was hit last fall by a distracted driver while walking her dog and they’re lucky the driver wasn’t going any faster. She survived, but it’s been a long, hard road to recovery.

“This sort of violence should not be normal, not be a statistic,” she said, adding neighbourhood groups want the lower speed not just to protect children, but to make the street more inviting for walking beside and biking on.

Edmonton started reducing speed limit zones in 2014 around elementary schools. That expanded to junior high schools as well after city officials found injury and fatal accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians dropped 71 per cent in the 30 km/ h zones.

Last fall, they also rolled out playground zones on residential and collector roads. But they were working quickly, said city branch manager Gord Cebryk.

DON’T CHANGE TOO FAST

That’s why some speed zones end awkwardly just before an intersection, or include a school that is now closed. Staff is creating a new process for communities to appeal which areas are and are not included. Several councillors have other tweaks to propose at council Tuesday.

“When you change it too quickly, people don’t adapt. They simply reject,” said Ward 9 Coun. Tim Cartmell, worried council risks moving too fast.

Cartmell said he’ll make a motion Tuesday to get the data on where injury and fatal collisions are happening laid out more clearly. He also wants staff to better define local, collector and arterial roads before going back to communities for further consultation.

If Henderson makes a motion to reduce speeds just on the small local roads immediately, Cartmell said he might support that.

Meanwhile, Ward 1 Coun. Andrew Knack said he wants staff to prepare bylaw amendments for 30 km/h on local roads, 40 km/h on collector roads and 60 km/ h on arterial roads, the busy roads that are the main corridors through the city. Then staff should take that to the public for comment, he said.

Residents can make specific arguments for why certain arterial roads should not increase in speed, he said, and the question of crosswalk safety can be dealt with separately.

“We have corridors for the movement of goods and people, which requires appropriate speeds,” Knack said.