In cities, transportation agencies have long understood that motor vehicle speed plays a key role in fatal and serious crashes, and have sought to reduce speeds through design and regulation in order to save lives. But speed limit reductions have remained out of bounds for many city transportation agencies because authority over speed limits, even on city streets, is often held at the state level, and is commonly tethered to the practice of using the existing speeds on a street to determine what the speed limit should be. This flawed model uses the current behavior of individuals to determine the speed limit, instead of allowing engineers and planners to set the limit at the speed that will create the best, safest conditions for all road users.
Sound familiar? This document is from the US, but our provincial government has dragged it's feet in listening to municipalities who want legislated lower speed limits in residential areas.
Link:
I live on a busy road in Kelowna. Springfield Rd to be exact.
Between Ziprick and Rutland Rd the speed limit is set to 50KM
People drive this road at excessive speeds, well over 80KM and no one thinks it's a problem. If I drove doing over the set speed limit in their neighborhood I'm sure someone would freak out and something would be done. The calming meassures mean nothing to these people. The police drive by during the less busier times so they see nothing in relation to the commercial vehicles towing heavy duty equipment, nor do they see the semi trucks and your average Joe/Jane driving these excessive speeds. It feels like the heads are turned. There are children who live on this road. There are children who walk and ride their bikes to school on this road. Its dangerous and it really seems like no one cares to do anything about the speeding that gets worse with every passing year.
Myself as well as many of my neighbors would like to see better calming meassures in place like speed bumps or round abouts.
Thanks for listening
Michelle M
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Speed limits