Council approves pilot for 30 km/h limit on Vancouver streets

A pilot project to reduce speed limits to 30 km/h on select roadsin Vancouver has been approved by council.

Coun.Pete Fry, who submitted the motion, said the idea is to make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

"The evidence out there is that if one is hit by a car at 50 km/h, they have a better than 90 per cent chanceof significant injury or death and that's greatly reduced if we reduce the speeds to 30 km/h," Fry said.

Council unanimously approved the motion Tuesday night. It also calls for council to present the motion tothe Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) to lobby for a provincewide change to B.C.'s speed limit laws.

Currently, the province's Motor Vehicle Act allows cities to set lower speed limits if they have proper signage something Vancouver has done for thestretch of Hastings Street that runs through the Downtown Eastside.

But Fry says signage costs can be prohibitive, which is why he's seeking the UBCM's help.

City staff will start developing a plan for the pilot project, withdetails on the location and road design changes due to be in place by September.