Winnipeg not the only prairie city grappling with speed limits: Edmonton safety advocate

Winnipeg isn’t the only prairie city grappling with speed limits.

Shewkar Ibrahim, manager of Edmonton’s Vision Zero project, told 680 CJOB that her city’s roadways are also under scrutiny when it comes to speed and safety.

Ibrahim said a recent public meeting led to a number of recommendations.

“One recommendation was creating something called a ‘core zone’,” she said.

“This is a specific number of neighbourhoods within the core area of Edmonton that would see a reduced speed limit to 30 km/h on local and collector residential roads – and then everywhere else in Edmonton, the speed limit would be lowered to 40 km/h on local and collector residential roadways.

Ibrahim said that as an advocate for traffic safety, her preference would be to go with the lower residential speed limit across the city, but that it may be difficult for drivers to naturally and comfortably transition to a blanket 30 km/h limit.

“The lower residential speed limit would be the safest option, but there are other things to take into consideration,” she said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The lower residential speed limit would be the safest option, but there are other things to take into consideration," she said.

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“It’s important also for the drivers to actually drive and travel at that speed, so if the environment is not conducive to a lower speed limit, you may not be able to see that activity from the drivers.”

A potential solution, she said, is looking into low-cost adaptable measures that can easily be added to the roadways – including speed bumps, curb extensions, and raised crosswalks – that would get drivers used to slower speeds.

Winnipeg has been examining its own roads and speed limits, especially in connection with school zones, and following a series of fatal vehicle/pedestrian collisions earlier this year.

Ibrahim said she thinks Edmonton and Winnipeg likely have similar struggles when it comes to the topic, as well as similar goals – like keeping local residents safe.

“It’s been on people’s minds for a while,” she said.

“We know that speed is one of the key principles and has a very high correlation between serious injuries and fatalities occurring.”

WATCH: Councillor suggests exploring reduced speed limits on Winnipeg residential streets

1:13 Councillor suggests exploring reduced speed limits on Winnipeg residential streets