Prince Albert already has seven speed monitoring signs in school zones around the city. On Monday night city council discussed purchasing eight more. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Location matters

Council debates deployment of new speed monitoring signs

Jun 18, 2020 | 2:33 PM

Prince Albert city council is anxious to purchase and install eight new portable radar speed signs, and they want a say in where the devices are located within their wards.

At Monday night’s city council meeting, city administrators brought a report outlining a number of options for the purchase of the speed monitoring devices that were approved during 2020 budget deliberations at a cost of $40,000.

Administration recommended the locations of the signs be determined based on problem areas identified by city data and residents’ complaints.

“We would focus a unit in each ward,” transportation manager Keri Sapsford told council. “However, if there was a number of problem areas in one ward that required immediate attention, we would consider moving a unit from a ward with less immediate concerns.”

Though the devices are portable and solar powered, Sapsford said based on the amount time and labour involved in moving them (up to one full day each), she recommended they be relocated a maximum of two times a year each.

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Her proposal was not well received by councillors.

Coun. Ted Zurakowski said he was disappointed the signs hadn’t already been ordered, given that he believed council made it clear during November budget deliberations that the project was a priority.

“Please order my speed signs,” he told the meeting. “I know the areas in my ward that are hotspots, as I’m sure every other elected person here knows the hot spots in their area, and I’ll move them around.”

He suggested increasing the maximum annual moves per sign to four, and that decisions about their locations be made following consultation with the mayor and ward councillor. The majority of council supported the idea.

Coun. Blake Edwards agreed moving each sign twice a year was not acceptable.

“If they’re in the same location for too long, they become ineffective,” he said. “People just blow by them.”

Meanwhile Mayor Greg Dionne told council he supported the purchase of the signs in the name of safety. But he didn’t like the idea of councillors getting involved in their placement.

“Where do we stop? We’re already arguing about streets that we should pave,” he said. “Maybe the next thing we’re going to talk about is what ward should get their streets swept first in the spring or where does snow removal start… it just opens a can of worms for me.”

Administration will put a tender out for the purchase of the eight new signs following final approval at the next city council meeting.

The transportation manager told paNOW following the meeting the city aims to have the speed monitoring devices installed by the fall.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom