The Cathedral neighbourhood could see its driving speed limit decreased to 30 km/hour as Regina City Council approved some recommendations.
On Wednesday, the City of Regina considered making the Cathedral neighbourhood a community safety zone. Drivers could be mandated to drive at 30 kilometres an hour speed limit with the area.
“I think that would be a great thing for this neighborhood, because it’s such a busy neighborhood. There are hundreds of children who walk to school in this neighborhood. There are lots of shops and galleries and restaurants,” said Regina Public School Board Chair Sarah Cummings Truszkowski. “My safety concerns are for pedestrians. There were two deaths recently on 13th Avenue from cars hitting pedestrians, and I want to stop that from happening.”
Regina Police Service (RPS) responded to a report of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle off 13th Avenue in April of last year. The young victim died from his injuries. The second victim was a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of 13th Avenue and Cameron Street in December 2023. The victim died of his injuries.
Police stated that reducing the speed limit could give drivers a better chance at reacting in their surroundings as Cathedral is described as a busy neighbourhood.
“Whether that be at all running out into the street or even seeing a pedestrian walk out into the street (to) slower their travel,” said RPS Sgt. Shannon Gordon, of traffic safety unit. “When we reduce the speed, we drastically increase the likelihood that that pedestrian will survive the collision if they are, in fact, hit.”
Cathedral resident Stacey Simms is all for the proposed change and said based on her observations, road and pedestrian traffic in the area is scary.
“Every day that, I’m coming home, some cars will just (drive), and people are trying to see over the cars and there’s always somebody coming out trying to cross the street,” said Simms. “I’ve always tried to be very mindful as to how I’m driving. Because I would never want that to happen to anybody (I know.)”
The Cathedral neighbourhood is a 235-hectare residential area, with a population of over 7,000 people. There are many businesses, grocery stores, schools, shops galleries and restaurants that generates a lot of street and pedestrian traffic.