Speed limits in Kitchener school zones remain unchanged pending regional review
Posted Aug 16, 2023 08:27:30 AM.
Last Updated Aug 16, 2023 04:39:49 PM.
In March, City of Kitchener council ordered staff to look at speed limits in municipal school zones and at Bingemans Centre Drive.
City of Kitchener staff presented the report to Monday’s planning and strategic initiatives committee meeting. Aaron McCrimmon-Jones, manager of Transportation Safety and Policy revealed why staff did not recommend any changes to speed limits in school zones.
“The concern is that school’s don’t stop functioning as community hubs at 3 p.m. when the bell rings,” said McCrimmon-Jones. “They continue as night schools, summer camps, summer schools, nighttime programming, and we want to treat school zones differently.”
Several councillors have raised concerns about the confusion of the current setup. School zones in Kitchener neighbourhoods have a speed limit of 30 km/h enforced by speed cameras. However school zones on regional roads force drivers to slow to 40 km/h only during specific times.
“Quite frankly, I do think it’s problematic in its present setup,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.
“Frankly, driving down Franklin Boulevard at 9 o’clock on a Sunday night and having to go 30 km/h is ridiculous,” said Ward 1 Coun. Scott Davey. “And I get the resident frustration about that. I think we need to make it safe when safety is required.”
“I want to put one school zone in my ward to be permanently 40 km/h, and that’s Westheights Drive,” said Ward 7 Coun. Bil Ioannidis. “Every school is going to get a camera now, so that’s going to effectively reduce the need to be 30 km/h.”
However, Ward 4 Coun. Christine Michaud was passionately in agreement with staff, saying drivers just need the time to adjust.
“It’s going to take a few tickets for people to realize this is a school zone, this is the speed I have to go. We’re never going to change this speeding problem that we have in this community if we start dickering back and forth with the speed limits.”
She also cited information from one of the studies conducted by city staff. They concluded it takes people six seconds longer to drive through school zones at 30 km/h compared to 40 km/h.
“I am just gobsmacked that we are even having this conversation. If there was any resident in Ward 4 that complained to me about a 30 km/h school zone and they want it to be 40 at 11 p.m. or during the summer months, I would never entertain it.”
Any potential changes to speed limits in school zones will now come after a review from the region.
As for Bingemans Centre Drive, councillors were also in disagreement with staff’s advisement to keep it a 50 km/h zone. Staff noted the 28 collisions on the road over the past decade and the severity of collisions at higher speeds.
Despite this, a motion to increase the speed limit is still expected at a future council meeting.
You can read the report or watch the council meeting for more information.
