NEW SPEED LIMITS COMING SOON TO A NEIGHBOURHOOD NEAR YOU!
By Mike Maturo
Based on a staff recommendation at Regular Meeting of Council on June 22, 2015, and in response to years of safety concerns brought to Council by many residents, Rossland City Council has recently reduced the city’s local road speed limit from 40 km/hr. to 30 km/hr. in order to increase street safety for all residents. Crews will shortly be placing a “3” over the “4” on the existing signs to alert drivers to the new 30 km/hr. speed limit. The speed limit reduction contributes to the traffic calming effort in Rossland and complements the promotion of walking and cycling on streets without raised sidewalks and designated cycling lanes.
Residents will also note that school drop-of/pick-up areas will be signed for 15 km/hr. during drop-off/pick-up times. This location and time specific speed limit alerts drivers to respect the use of the full street width by pedestrians. Flanking blocks around schools will also be posted at 20 km/hr. during school hours. Two distinct areas of Rossland, on the west end of McLeod and the Nickleplate neighbourhood, will see new speed limits, to 20 km/hr. as well due to the streets’ narrow widths.
The city’s new 30 km/hr. general speed limit adds roughly 30 seconds to a 1-km ride, meaning that nearly all residents can reach a provincial highway in 1 – 3 minutes. Residents are therefore encouraged to slow down to be compliant with the new speed limit prior to the posting of the signs. The RCMP will also be monitoring speeds on Rossland’s streets after the new signs are posted later this month.
