Council committee wants 80 km/h limit on College Drive

Just over two weeks after Saskatoon city council rejected an 80 kilometre per hour speed limit on an eastern stretch of College Drive, a council committee backed slowing it down again.

Council’s transportation committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to endorse an 80 km/h speed limit on College Drive from 100 metres east of Preston Avenue to the eastern city limits.

Coun. Zach Jeffries suggested at the Sept. 25 council meeting that the recommended 80 km/h was creating an artificially low speed limit on a stretch of roadway designed for higher speeds. He suggested it could be seen as creating a speed trap.

A report presented to the transportation committee on Tuesday backed a compromise 90 km/h speed limit.

“The interchange at College Drive and McOrmond Drive was originally designed for a speed limit along College Drive of 80 (km/h),” the report says.

Roadways are usually designed using guidelines that account for some traffic travelling at 10 km/h over the posted speed limit, the report adds. This means the roadway design and the interchange could accommodate the slightly higher speed limit.

However, the report also noted that as the Brighton neighbourhood develops to the south of College Drive, the speed limit will need to be reconsidered as another intersection or access point is built.

Angela Gardiner, the city’s acting general manager of transportation and utilities, said she could not immediately calculate the costs of reconsidering the speed limit at some point.

The speed limit for much of the stretch is currently 100 km/h, and maintaining that speed would require the interchange to be redesigned and partly rebuilt, the report says.

The interchange at College and McOrmond, which is expected to be key for east-side traffic when the north commuter bridge opens next year, was revealed last month to be behind schedule.

After some discussion, the committee voted to back the 80 km/h speed limit that was rejected by council.

Coun. Ann Iwanchuk also got unanimous support for a full accounting of the costs and the possible impact if the original recommendation for a 90 km/h speed limit had been approved.

Council must still approve the speed limit.