Prince Albert has 24 speed monitoring signs placed at various locations around the city including this one in East Flat. (File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Pumping the brake

Concerns about speeding on Crescent Acres street

Dec 15, 2020 | 8:24 AM

Residents of a Crescent Acres street are worried about cars driving dangerously fast in the area, and data from a new speed monitoring sign appears to add weight to their concerns.

Ward councillor Blake Edwards told Monday night’s council meeting the speed limit on Barton Drive is 40 km/hr, but the speed monitoring sign placed on the street registered drivers going much faster.

“I was shocked one of the vehicles was going 118 km/hr,” he told council. “That’s disgusting.”

Edwards said data gathered from the sign indicated around 30 per cent of cars were over the speed limit, but added he didn’t have a breakdown of whether most had exceeded it by just a few kilometers per hour, or a more significant amount.

Council voted to have administration consult with residents of Barton Drive on their concerns and potential new traffic calming measures for the street like speed bumps.

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Speaking to paNOW after the meeting Edwards said he wasn’t sure what form those consultations would take, given the COVID-19 pandemic, but said it could be as simple as a flyer delivered to residents inviting their input.

He added Barton Drive wasn’t the only place his constituents had raised concerns about speeding, and explained one of the great things about the speed monitoring signs purchased for each ward is they can be moved every three months to gather data on different areas.

“Then we can see the times of the day where the most speed may occur and we can hopefully move some enforcement from the police over to that area during those times,” he said.

More stats coming soon

Information gathered from all 24 speed monitoring signs deployed in the city earlier this year will be coming in January, director of public works Wes Hicks told council. He cautioned the city’s politicians they needed to be judicious about where additional measures, like the installation of speed bumps, are taken to slow traffic down.

“There is a policy and there’s certain criteria that have to be met,” he said. “We can’t put these everywhere because of course we have to keep traffic moving.”

The policy on where traffic calming measures can be placed will also be under consideration early in the new year. Council made the decision to review it after granting an exemption for the installation of a speed bump on Muzzy Drive in July.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom