WINDSOR, ONT. -- Windsor residents may soon have to take their foot off the pedal when driving through residential areas.
The Environment Transportation and Public Safety standing committee is recommending to council that a city-wide 40 km/h speed limit be adopted in residential areas.
The committee was looking at a 12-month pilot project when they decided to skip that step and make the recommendation.
Members of the committee include councillors Fred Francis, Fabio Costante, Chris Holt, Gary Kaschak, and Kieran McKenzie.
“The data is already there. We don’t need to invest time and staff resources to study a question that we already know the answer to,” says McKenzie.
Holt, McKenzie and Kaschak voted in support of the recommendation.
“If you reduce the speed limit, you increase public safety. That is unassailable in my opinion which is why I didn’t think we needed to go through the pilot project process,” says McKenzie.
If approved by council the estimated cost to install new signs across the city is about $734,000.
According to 2017 road safety report, 14 per cent of fatal and serious injury collisions occurred at intersections, while 24 per cent occurred mid-block.
“We’re going to do many more things to improve public safety across the community,” says McKenzie
The report brought to the committee Wednesday night says research found reducing speed limits does not cause significant changes in operating speeds.
“I’ve never seen a mess of a motion put forward at committee or council,” says Francis.
Francis opposed the motion on Wednesday, at the committee meeting. He believes new signs won’t make drivers slow down.
“People are going to go as fast as they believe the road allows them to travel. You have to look at other measures. More enforcement, more stop signs, more speed bumps.”
City council is expected to debate the issue next month.
With files from Angelo Aversa.
