WATCH: Summer construction causes a lot of motorists stress, but how much is construction actually delaying your daily commute? Quinn Campbell put speed reduction to the test to find out how big of an impact it really has.
LETHBRIDGE- It’s not something anyone really loves, but it is something most drivers just have to deal with – construction.
Lethbridge currently has several major routes undergoing heavy duty overhauls and the City is asking all drivers to watch for those zones.
Darwin Juell, Transportation Manager for the City of Lethbridge, says safety is the City’s number one concern.
“You throw in a construction zone, you change that normal driving habit for people and that is part of the reason we slow it down,” said Juell.
When dealing with high risk areas, the City can set the speed limit to what it feels is safe. The width of the road, machinery being used and traffic volume are just a few factors.
“The province allows us to set our own speed limits. We do that through bylaws as well as setting construction limits, construction zones and temporary speed limit reductions,” adds Juell.
We wanted to see just how much of a difference a speed reduction could make during a commute, so we travelled the same distance, roughly a kilometer, first at 30 Km/h then at 60 Km/h.
At 30 Km/h our time was 1:35
At 60 Km/h our time was :57
“Whoop Up Drive is a classic example. When you went from 90 down to 50 for a long time, it’s a difference of 120 seconds, just a minute or two, depending on if it’s congested or not,” adds Juell.
Even though the construction can be a headache, he also reminds drives its short term pain for long term gain.
“When you see construction happening, slow down. We are doing this for you. We are trying to make your commute, whereever you are trying to go, better in the future.”
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