SASKATOON — With city administration recommending a reduction in speed limits in residential areas from 50km/h to 40 km/h, data collected from a surveys relating to the plan show many favour no change in speed limits.
Through its public engagement process, the city surveyed 14,970 people online in a survey open to all residents of Saskatoon, according to the city’s website.
Another 414 people were invited to complete a third-party telephone or online survey with the goal of gathering representation from all age groups and areas of the city, according to the city.
Sixty-five per cent of open survey respondents prefer the speed limit to stay the same on all streets, whereas about half (52 per cent) of third-party survey respondents prefer a speed limit lower than 50km/h on local streets, according to the city’s website.
The majority of both respondent groups prefer no change to speed limits for collector and arterial streets, the city said.
From its public engagement process, the city said a majority of third-party survey respondents and about one-third of open survey participants are concerned or very concerned about the speed of vehicles in their neighbourhoods.
Of those who support a speed reduction on local streets, 40km/h is the more preferred speed compared to 30km/h, according to the survey results.
This week the city’s transportation committee got a sneak peek at the city’s progress on this file and its recommendation to lower speed limits on residential streets to 40km/h.
According to the city’s report, two other prairie cities — Calgary and Edmonton — have “very recently” lowered their residential speed limits to 40 km/h.
The report will officially be submitted at the transportation committee’s next meeting and then will likely head to city council for debate.
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