Kitchener city council votes to lower speed limits to 40 km/h in residential areas
Kitchener city council voted to approve lowering speed limits in residential areas at a Monday night meeting.
Currently, the speed limit on residential streets in Kitchener is 50 km/h, but a proposal presented to council suggested lowering that to 40 km/h, with school zones dropped down to 30 km/h.
"This is one tool in trying to help decrease speeds, and as a member of council, this is one issue I hear most about," said Coun. Kelly Galloway-Sealock. "I think it's important for us to take any steps we can to try and decrease the speed on roads."
Council voted in favour of the plan on Monday night. Coun. John Gazzola was the only vote against it.
"I realize that speeding is an issue, but we're not getting a good bang for our dollar," he said. "We're spending $550,000 to put signs up all over the place."
The recommendation was brought to city council earlier in October following the Neighbourhood Speed Limit Pilot Project that was launched in 2019 by Transportation Services.
The pilot project lowered speed limits in three Kitchener neighbourhoods.
According to city staff, the project saw drivers in those areas slow down by one to 11 per cent.
Kitchener's transportation manager Aaron McCrimmon-Jones said lowering speed limits will make roads safer.
"A 15 per cent survival rate increased to 70 per cent if somebody is hit by a car if somebody is driving 40 (km/h) rather than 50 (km/h)," he said.
The project is estimated to cost the city $550,000. The price tag includes new signage and installation as well as community education.
During the Monday night meeting, city staff said the project would likely take two years to complete as workers need to install more than 1,000 signs throughout the city. Only when the signs are installed do the new speed limits come into effect.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.