Lower Welland speed limits will only create more speeders: Speck
Coun. Chiocchio pressing for neighbourhood limits to be set at 40 km/h
Reducing speed limits on Welland streets to 40 km/h will make speeders out of everyone, says Graham Speck.
The Ward 5 councillor was opposed to a motion introduced Tuesday from Ward 3 Coun. John Chiocchio asking that speed limits on neighbourhood streets be lowered to 40 km/h from 50 km/h.
Chiocchio, who first asked for the lower limit in 2019, said he wants to reduce accident impacts and keep the community safe.
“The two biggest complaints we received canvassing (for the election), No. 1 is taxes and No. 2 people speeding,” Speck said.
“So, I concur with Coun. Chiocchio that’s it is right up there on people’s minds. However, reducing the overall speed limit to 40 km/h will make speeders out of us all,” he said.
He said driving 40 km/h is slow, and using it in specific areas, such as school zones where needed, is important.
“The 50 is fine if people would just go 50 in our neighbourhoods, then they would be much safer. Doing it this way (lowering the speed limit), all of the signage that is needed and the great expense that it is to change it all over, it’s not effective,” said Speck.
St. Catharines is spending $260,000 to install 1,300 40-km/h speed limit signs on its side streets after city councillors unanimously agreed last year to drop the limit.
Chiocchio said he understood reducing the speed limit is not a popular move, and compared it to when seatbelts first became mandatory.
“No one liked the idea,” he said, adding it took conditioning for it to catch on.
“Will it save lives and reduce speeding, probably. Will it take time? Absolutely. I am saying to the public, although you may not like it in your neighbourhood, it is something down the road that will happen,” Chiocchio said.
Ward 1 Coun. Adam Moote wants more information before any decision is made.
“I’d rather have this backed up by professional staff speaking to the merits of lowering it and the challenges, what the cost is for signs,” he said.
Until then, Moote said he couldn’t support Chiocchio’s motion to drop the speed limits.
Ward 2 Coun. David McLeod wants public input before anything changes.
“I don’t believe it is something (the lower limit) that will fix what we are seeing in our community. We need to be able to move through our community. I think distracted driving is a bigger problem,” he said.
McLeod said Welland needs to see its residents behaving on the road, and paying attention.
“We, as a city, need to be strategic and targeted in our measures to protect specific areas that are potentially the most hazardous, like schools, seniors’ homes and parks. Let’s get those right,” he said.
Sheri-Marie Millar, director of infrastructure services, said speed limits may be addressed in a draft transportation master plan to come before council in early May.
Ward 6 Coun. Bonnie Fokkens successfully referred Chiocchio’s motion back for a city staff report.