Guelph-Eramosa officials are hoping speed reductions on three roads near Guelph will encourage drivers to take another route out of the city.
“Our roads are beaten to death,” Mayor Chris White said last week. He noted the township no longer receives compensation from the city for so-called “feeder” roads into Guelph, as it did decades ago.
Public Works Manager Ken Gagnon told council the large amount of commuter traffic on Fife Road, Watson Road and Speedvale Avenue is worrisome.
“Ultimately, this is to lower the municipality’s risk,” Gagnon said of his proposal to reduce the speed limit on those roads from 80 to 60km/hour. He acknowledged the idea is to get most of the commuter traffic to use other nearby roads.
Extensive township traffic studies reveal that all three roads meet the municipality’s requirements for a speed reduction, and Gagnon estimated it will cost $892 – not including labour or equipment time – for signs on all three.
Councillor Roger Knapp expressed concern with lowering the speed limit on a section of Watson?Road with only five residences on it. Gagnon replied there are other factors to consider, but he noted the township has received petitions requesting the speed changes on both Fife and Watson.
Councillor John?Scott wondered about enforcement, and Gagnon said the OPP has been very cooperative in other situations where the township has instituted lower speed limits.
If the goal is to mitigate speed or encourage the use of other roads, councillor Doug Breen said there’s no question lowering the speed limit works.
“I think this is a good idea,” he said, noting he now avoids a certain road, thanks to speeding tickets. Breen added he is glad the decision is based on facts – meaning Gagnon’s traffic studies – and not emotion.
Council unanimously approved lowering the speed limit from 80 to 60 on:
– Fife Road, from the Guelph city limits to County Road 32;
– Watson?Road, from the city limits to County Road 124; and
– Speedvale Avenue East, from the city limits to Jones Baseline.
Brucedale change
Later in the same meeting, council also agreed to lower the speed limit from 80 to 50km/hour through Brucedale.
“The only hamlet we have a high speed limit in is Brucedale,” Gagnon told council, alluding to a chart that shows every township-owned hamlet road has a speed limit of 50km/hour.
Breen seemed surprised the speed limit through Brucedale was 80km/hour.
“It’s amazing to me it wasn’t already this way,” he said of the standard 50km/hour limit for populated areas. “This one just got missed.”
Council unanimously approved a bylaw to lower to 50 the speed limit on 5th Line, from County Road 124 to 600 metres north of that road.
