Councillors here considered a number of factors but, in the end, they opted for the safety of students who live on a rural road.
On Oct. 6, Centre Wellington council moved to reduce the speed limit on a part of the 2nd Line of old Nichol from 80 to 60km/hour. It was the second time this year council has considered the road’s speed limit, having rejected a decrease the first time in May.
The reconsideration came because of complaints that councillor Fred Morris received from residents living on the road.
Director of Public Works Ken Elder told council the OPP had done some traffic monitoring on the road. He said six OPP officers had done ten hours of monitoring on seven different days. The result of that traffic check was 25 tickets being issued for drivers traveling 100km/hour or greater, and police also noted that 80% of the drivers using the road were travelling over the 80km/hour speed limit.
Elder said the township had increased the size of a sign and added two new signs in an effort to encourage drivers to slow down. The residents’ complaints stemmed from the topography of the road, which has several dips at the ends of lanes. School buses stopped to pick up or off load students cannot be seen by drivers coming over the hills on the road.
Elder said the rural road, which connects County Road 7 to Highway 6 is considered a collector road, and should remain at the 80km/hour speed limit.
“I would like more enforcement by the OPP,” he said, adding that he would specifically like to know if drivers doing over 80km/hour were receiving tickets, or just those travelling over 100.
He also suggested that large LED signs could be placed on the road to warn drivers of their speed.
Morris asked when the OPP had been on the road and doing the monitoring.
Elder said they were there various times from 8am to 4pm, Monday through Friday.
Morris pointed out that the 8th Line is a rural road, and asked why it has a speed limit of 60km/hour.
Elder replied, “A former reeve of Nichol township lived on that road.”
Morris asked why it has remained at that speed limit, and Elder said if council wants to return it to 80km/hour, it can.
Morris asked if there is much difference between the two roads, and Elder said there is not in terms of quality, but he noted there are no major dips or gullies on that road.
Morris said of school buses and high speed traffic, “If school buses are stopping in a gully and 80% of the traffic is speeding, we have a problem.”
He asked council to consider dropping the speed limit to 60km/hour from Concession 6 westward to County Road 7.
Councillor Walt Visser asked if the OPP is not enforcing the 80 limit now, “What makes you think they will enforce it at 60?”
Morris said he does not wish to discuss a death on that road at council.
Councillor Kirk McElwain added that it is not only parents who are concerned, but school bus drivers have also complained about safety on that road.
Morris said he wants council to “convince the OPP to work with us. We’ve already had a death at Ponsonby.”
That happened on County Road 7 last year, and county council has since moved to lower the speed limit near the school there.
Councillor Bob Foster pointed out that Highway 6 and County Road 7 are good roads, and the speed limit on them is 80km/hour, while Sideroad 2 is not as well built and does not have shoulders like those main roads. He asked why the road has an 80 limit.
Elder said that under the Highway Traffic Act, all rural roads carry an 80km/hour limit “unless otherwise posted.” He added that the travel portion of Sideroad 2 meets the provincial standards.
Foster said his concern is the lack of shoulders on Sideroad 2, which leaves speeding drivers with no room to avoid a crash if they top a hill going too fast and a bus is stopped at the bottom.
Elder said it can be argued that Highway 6 and County Road 7 should have a limit of 100km/hour instead of 80.
Councillor Walt Visser agreed that those roads are “built for that.”
Elder added of the homes on Sideroad 2, “Those residents should never have been allowed to put a laneway there.” He added that all roads in the township are going to be seeing more vehicles, as traffic is increasing everywhere.
Foster said it is “human nature is you see an 80 sign, you push to 90 to 95” and with a limit of 60km/hour, drivers might slow down to 70 or 75, and the road will be safer.
Morris reiterated his concern for students, and said it is “irresponsible” for council to allow such a high speed on Sideroad 2.
He moved to decrease the limit to 60 from Concession 6 to County Road 7 and that was carried unanimously. Councillor Ron Hallman was absent.
