Some residential neighbourhoods will see lowered speed limits as part of a pilot project in Lethbridge.
Paradise Canyons/The Canyons will be the first subdivision to test out a 40 km/h speed limit starting on Sept. 15. The Blackwolf/Uplands and the southern portion of Southgate will also see the change later this year.
The city’s Transportation Safety Plan recommends reducing residential speed limits to work towards a goal of zero transportation related deaths and serious injuries by 2040.
Transportation engineering manager for the city Ahmed Ali says the plan looks to move from a reactive approach to collisions to a proactive one.
“In 2020 we had 26 major injuries and an average of two fatalities a year because of transportation collisions and they are avoidable,” he says. “The previous thought was that accidents happen — so there are no more accidents, they are collisions and all collisions are avoidable by design.”
The city says data will be collected throughout the multi-year pilot project and there will be opportunities for residents to give feedback. An online survey is available for residents to have their say anytime.
Ali says the larger plan is to implement 40 km/h city-wide, but for now it is just the three year pilot project. He adds traffic data and resident complaints determined which areas will be part of the pilot project.
The city has also implemented changes to school zones, which converts them to year-round playground zones as part of the safety plan.
READ MORE: School zone changes coming in September