Following a public engagement survey, the Town of Wembley is lowering its speed limit from 50 to 30 kilometres per hour. Additionally, drivers are not allowed to exceed speeds of 20 kilometres per hour in an alley. The changes take effect on July 1st.
Noreen Zhang, Chief Administrative Officer with the Town of Wembley says that families and people expressed concerns to the media, as well as council.
“We received feedback regarding people going through the town travelling at higher speeds in areas with children present. One option is to create more sidewalks here but unfortunately, that sidewalk work would be quite costly, so council decided to go this direction,” she says.
While considering the idea of change, council looked at data from other municipalities and cities that have made the change.
“One of the most recent examples of a place that has reduced their speed limit due to safety concerns is Edmonton. They have reduced their speed limit in residential areas to 40 kilometres per hour. I also know there are other municipalities that have reduced their speed limit to 30 kilometres an hour within their town limit,” she says.
As mentioned, Zhang feels that if residents vote in favour of the change, it would be particularly effective in residential areas where families are out and about with their children.
“It doesn’t matter how cold it is throughout the year, people in those residential areas like to be active. At this point, it’s more of a public safety concern. We want to make sure people feel safe in Wembley,” she adds.
Full details on the Speed Limit ByLaw can be found on the Town of Wembley website. The survey closed on March 11th.