Province to Review Speed Signs Policy

The Provincial Traffic Authority says it will review its policy regarding the placement of speed display signs.

Council wrote to the province asking it to change its policy on electronic signs so they could be placed in more areas throughout the County.

Currently, under the province’s Use of Speed Signs Policy,  the electronic signs that post a driver’s speed can only be placed in rural communities where speed limit transitions occur to remind drivers of their speed, collect driver’s speed and keep communities safe.

District 3 Coun. Darla MacKeil said the signs have proven to be a good deterrent for speeding and she would like to have them more readily available for all communities.   She also asked the province to consider placing more signs in rural areas so motorists are aware of the speed limits since excessive speed is a problem on many roads in the County.

In response to Council’s letter, the Provincial Traffic Authority said more location flexibility may be beneficial and it will review its policy to see if changes are needed.

Regarding extra signage, the authority said it believes posting more signs is ineffective in slowing down motorists.

“Based on current legislation, the default speed limit when not posted is 80km/h in rural areas and 50 km/h on residential/subdivision streets. The value of posting speed limits on many local roads is limited as research indicates most drivers travel at safe and prudent speed based on the driving environment. We also know speed enforcement on low volume local roads is minimal and that simply posting a speed limit sign has very little impact on travel speeds,” said Michael Croft,  manager of Traffic Engineering and Road Safety for the Provincial Traffic Authority.

Coun. MacKeil said during Monday’s Council meeting that she is pleased to see they will review the policy and hopes Council will see changes in the future.