Frustration leads to discussion of lower speed limit

Take a deep breath. We’re not talking about anything as controversial as backyard fires, bike lanes, bus-only roadways or user fees for trash pickup. All we’re talking about here is the possibility of lowering the speed limit on residential streets in Saskatoon.

This topic of dropping the speed limit in residential areas is resurfacing in the wake of a divisive battle over speeding, traffic and safety in the Avalon neighbourhood.

This notion is being revived out of frustration, not necessarily because it’s a good idea.

Coun. Mairin Loewen, who represents Avalon, resurrected the idea after city council unanimously decided to remove a concrete barrier that prevented left turns from Clarence Avenue onto Glasgow Street.

The unpopular temporary measure, which drew a near-capacity crowd to the council chamber on June 25, slashed the volume of traffic on Glasgow substantially, but failed to reduce the average speed. That decision followed four years of attempting to address traffic and speeding on Glasgow. An admittedly frustrated Loewen acknowledged the process was “messy and difficult” and failed to produce a resolution for Glasgow residents.

Loewen proposed a “wholesale’ reduction of the speed limit on residential streets to 40 kilometres per hour. This sounds radical, but it isn’t really that extreme.

Toronto has dropped the speed limit on some local roads to 40 km/h and as slow as 30 km/h on some others. Ontario’s coroner has backed speed limits as low as 30 km/h. Edmonton city council debated dropping the residential speed limit to 30 km/ h in April, but deferred the matter for a year.

Two years ago, the speed limit in Saskatoon’s Montgomery Place neighbourhood was lowered to 40 km/h. Montgomery is considered unique because the neighbourhood’s post-second World War design left most streets without sidewalks. Average speeds in Montgomery were also higher than elsewhere in the city, a review showed. The Montgomery measure was not expected to substantially reduce speeds or prevent collisions.

A lower speed limit city-wide is being discussed because nothing else has worked. In the Glasgow case, setting up a barrier simply sent traffic to other streets and did nothing to reduce the average speed of 54 km/h.

Loewen asked about the possibility of speed humps and photo radar on Glasgow. The city is conducting a speed hump pilot project, and the city and province are contemplating expanding photo radar in Saskatoon.

Neither of these seems a likely solution for Glasgow, since its average speed does not rank near the top of Saskatoon roadways with speeding issues.

While lower speed limits might not achieve the desired result, the city administration sent bizarre messages this month. These included its recommendation to permanently barricade Glasgow and to try a one-year barrier on Ninth Street in the Nutana neighbourhood so people would be unable to use it to access the Lorne Avenue on-ramp to the Idylwyld Freeway.

The Ninth Street decision, still to be considered by council, seems particularly puzzling since the city’s own study shows there’s no problem with traffic or speeds on that street.

The road closures are happening not because they’re particularly good ideas. They’re not, and they pit one block against another. But nothing else is working.

The city administration dislikes speed humps because they impede emergency vehicles and snow clearing. Plus, nobody wants them in front of their home because of the noise of vehicles braking.

So the city is already studying the possibility of lower speed limits in residential areas. Some speeding, however, is real and some is just perceived.

Mayor Charlie Clark suggested lower speed limits in residential areas several times as a councillor. Seven years ago, he failed to advance the conversation past the committee level. Clark revealed this year that he had received threats over the suggestion, which has been pushed by residents of neighbourhoods concerned about speed and safety.

Any revived debate seems bound to be contentious, but so is spending who knows how much money conducting neighbourhood traffic reviews that fail to resolve issues like Glasgow.