City's need for less speed on the streets ... in the end is an enforcement issue

A report for City Council from Operations Director Richard Pucci provided a response to questions from Council in October towards considering lowering the speed limits on city streets.

The follow up to those enquiries came by way of a short, one page overview for Council on Tuesday night,  noting that City Council has the ability to reduce the posted speeds on the streets, though enforcement of those changes would fall to law enforcement.

The topic made for some short discussion for Councillors Cunningham, Adey, Niesh and Mayor Pond.

For Councillor Cunningham the need to reduce the speeds combined with enforcement was key to the situation.

"The RCMP have to get out there and enforce the speed limit ... you've got people, if it's fifty kilometres they're doing seventy, if it's thirty they're going to be doing fifty or sixty. 

The only way when you change the habit of people is to start fining ... as was mentioned this is how we've got to do it, it doesn't matter what speed limit we have, people are going to speed. 

And why people are in a hurry in such a small town I don't know"

Councillor Adey agreed that the key was in enforcement and also called attention to the fining differences that could prove to be a deterrence.

"I do think it's worth noting that If you are doing seventy kilometres an hour in a thirty kilometre zone, the ticket that you get and the fine associated with it, is significantly different than if it had been a fifty or a sixty kilometre zone.

So there is a benefit to be had to a lower speed limit in the way of deterrence"

For Councillor Niesh observed as to the potential impact of cost and staffing for the RCMP towards additional enforcement for the community.

"The reality is that we can change as many signs as we want, and there's a cost to that.

 I mean, you know if we've got to change every municipal sign in town to change the speed limits, I mean  there is a cost to that.

And at the end of the day it's enforcement and we really have no control over that unless we're going to hire and increase our budget even more and get traffic police here, which we do not currently have"

The full discussion can be reviewed from the City's Video archive starting at the 45 minute mark.

More notes from Tuesday's Council Session can be reviewed here.

A look at some of the work of the Police and other Emergency Responders in the northwest can be explored here.