Speed limit brought down to 40 km/h in several Kitchener neighbourhoods
Those driving through a neighbourhood in Kitchener may want to double check the speed limit.
A new plan from the city is knocking the limit in a few areas from 50 km/h to 40 km/h.
New signage has been put up on Hickson Drive, which resident John Head is happy to see.
"I've been asking for this for two and a half years," said Head. "I've got little kids playing in my yard now and we have to protect them, and we can't do that when they're doing 20, 30 over the speed limit."
Those in the Heritage Park neighbourhood are hoping the signs will make a difference.
"People just speed around me," said resident Alice Ryan. "They don't look where they're going. They don't care. I've had some close calls."
Kitchener city planners say reduced limits have already been proven to work through a pilot project in three neighbourhoods.
"Reducing the speed limit coupled with education efforts reduced the average operating speed of approximately three kilometers," said Aaron McCrimmon-Jones, the manager of transportation safety for the city.
McCrimmon-Jones adds that this significantly reduces the likelihood of vehicle collisions resulting in serious injury or death.
The city started converting neighbourhoods to 40 km/h and school zones down to 30 km/h in 2022, but more initiatives are on the way.
"We're approximately 20-25 per cent complete," said McCrimmon-Jones. "We hope to have the entire city converted all neighbourhoods to 40 km/h by 2023."
SPEEDING TROUBLES DESPITE LIMIT BEING DROPPED
Residents in the Country Hills neighbourhood say their speed limit was lowered a while ago, but they haven't noticed any difference, and that drivers still go 20-30 km/h over.
"I saw speeding before, I see speeding now," said resident John Stager.
Kim Holmes lives on Erinbrook drive and says she saw a car crash into a neighbour's home just one day ago.
Holmes adds that there was a similar incident a few doors down two years ago and that speed likely played a factor in both crashes.
"I'm not surprised at all, I'm furious," said Holmes. "Everyone's furious and we're scared. We know it's a problem."
Holmes is unsure what there's left to do to reduce speeding, but hopes more can be done.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.