NEWS

Council to hear appeal for higher speed limit on Bayview Extension

Ward 26 councillor Jon Burnside says he has the support of the mayor’s office to reverse the latest speed reduction on the Bayview Extension.

The proposed change will come before council in November, Burnside says.

This move follows a petition, which has more than 470 signatures so far and is growing, to bring back higher speed limits on the Bayview Extension south of Pottery Road.

The petition was started by Davisville business owner Judy Weiss. She says she plans to submit the petition to her city councillor, Josh Matlow, to get council to return the speed limit to 60 kilometres per hour.

The preamble to the petition on Change.org notes the road was designed for travel at 70 km/h but was reduced first to 60 km/h in 2012 and then to 50 km/h recently.

“Currently, there is a designated bike lane for both directions for cyclists to safely ride that stretch of road which includes an under-pass of the northbound DVP entrance,” according to the petition. “And there are no cross through-streets or pedestrians to interfere with the higher traffic speed. Additionally, there are no residential streets or schools with pedestrian access to that section of the Bayview Extension.”

“There is no logical reason” for the speed reduction to 50 km/h, Weiss says.

In fact, she argues the lower speed limit is a danger. Drivers who expect the highway-like stretch of road to have a high speed limit end up tailgating vehicles that stick to the lower limit, Weiss says..

No data backed reduction

Burnside says the latest speed reduction went through council because as part of a Public Works committee recommendation with 34 other problem locations noted by police. No data had been presented to back the submission for a vote.

He favours a 60 km/h limit on the extension. Burnside has been spearheading efforts with the city’s transportation department to change the limit back, he says.

He expects the limit increase to pass council as he has the support of the mayor’s office, Burnside says.