Drivers in Grande Prairie will have to raise their right foot. Speed limits in many parts of the city, including the old bypass, will be dropping from 70 to 60 kilometres per hour.
Members of Grande Prairie city council voted unanimously on the change to the traffic bylaw on Monday. It will see the limits dropped on 108 Street north of 68 Avenue, on 100 Avenue from 108 Street to 124 Street, and on Resources Road from 92 Avenue to 84 Avenue down to 60 kilometres an hour.
Councillor Dylan Bressey admits it may seem jarring to some that the limits will drop 10 kilometres per hour in some high traffic areas. However, he says after reading and hearing data surrounding intersection accidents in Grande Prairie, the decision was a no brainer.
“We have an injury accident a month at some of our intersections, so we if we can lower those accidents, and also make those accident have less force in them, that’s a really good thing for our residents.”
“You spend a lot of money responding to accidents, and if we can decrease injury accidents, that saves taxpayers a lot of money,” Bressey adds. “Not just the City of Grande Prairie, but the province, which has to deal with healthcare ramifications.”
Bressey notes the changes to the traffic bylaw may not be finished as of yet, with a more comprehensive study into speed limits across the city likely to take place within the next year.