Calgary council proceeds with study of lowering speed limits
Posted Sep 24, 2018 6:21 pm.
Last Updated Sep 24, 2018 8:49 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WATCH: Will reducing the speed limit even work?
Calgary City council members have voted to look at lowering the residential speed limit.
Councillor Druh Farrell brought forward the idea to lower it from 50 km/h to 30 km/h earlier this month but added an amendment to her motion on Monday, to also study lowering it to 40 kilometers an hour.
Farrell says it came up time and time again during the election last fall.
“What every member of council heard during the election when we were door knocking, it was the number one issue for communities and it was universal,” said Farrell. “It was every single ward and when I was door knocking the level of desperation from people who were worried about the safety of their children was intense and we have to act.”
Mayor Naheed Nenshi says this will help them understand they should move it to 40 km/hr or 30 km/hr and what roads it should apply to.
“We basically said we endorse it, but we’re going to send it back to administration for a little more study, so early next year, we’ll have the opportunity to make that 40/30 decision and what roads and then by the end of next year we will have an implementation plan if council doesn’t change its mind.”
Councillor Peter Demong, who was one of the six to vote against it, says he had issues with the way it was brought forward.
“I’m a little disappointed because what was put on the table for us was make these changes and then we’re going to get a report on how we are going to do it, what it’s going to look like and the engagement will tell the people what we are doing,” said Demong.
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Administration will now study both speed limits, before coming back to council sometime next year when the change will be voted on again.
Council has cited the much higher survival rate of pedestrians hit by vehicles travelling at 30km/h compared to 50 km/h.
Elected officials voted 8-6 in favour of the study.
