Caswell Hill residents hopeful lower speed limits could improve pedestrian safety

A Saskatoon neighbourhood where residents say speeding drivers are endangering lives could have its speed limits reviewed.

On Tuesday, city officials will recommend councillors approve a review of speed limits in residential areas across the city.

Lowering the speed limit from 50 kilometres per hour down to 30would be one of the options reviewed. The report from city officials saysthe survival rate for pedestrians and cyclists involved in a collisionwould improve by 40 per cent.

Chelsea Dignean lives in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood, where residents say speeding drivers are making the area near Ashworth Holmes Park unsafe for pedestrians.

Dignean said she has seen multiple near-misses between pedestrians and vehicles in her eight years living near the corner of Avenue D North and 31st Street.

"Our car has been hit outside our house, our neighbours had two cars totalled outside their house," said Dignean.

"Speed is a problem."

Residents tried to install speed bumps

In May, a group of residents tried to install their own speed bumps in front of the pedestrian crossing but the city removed them, describing them as a road hazard.

The speed limit in the area is currently 50 kilometres per hour, but Dignean said there are yellow signs recommending drivers slow down to 30.

She believes a city-wide speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour in residential areas would help promote an overall change of mindset among drivers.

"There are always going to be some who don't follow the rules as there are now but I can't see the majority of people speeding if the city residential zones are 30," said Dignean.

A total 107 pedestrians were injured after being hit by vehicles in Saskatoon last year. A further three people were killed.

Hilary Gough is the councillor for Ward 2, where Dignean lives.

She said public feedback indicates there is a need to talk about lowering speed limits in Saskatoon.

"Over and over again we hear and experience that resident expectations around what are reasonable speeds to be driving in their neighbourhood there's a disconnect between that and the standard posted speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour," said Gough.

Gough said she wants the city to explore playground zones as one way to improve safety for pedestrians.

She added that determining what constitutes a residential road, along with considering other methods of reducing speed, would need to be part of any discussion about lowering speed limits.

Ward 1 Councillor Darren Hill said he is open to receiving the report, adding that he raised the issue at five neighbourhood traffic reviews.

"At each one I told the citizens to ask for whatever they wanted, to shoot for the stars," said Hill.

"Every time, I said, 'If you want to try a lower speed limit in your neighbourhood, ask for that.'Not one did."

Councillors in the city's transportation committee will consider the recommendationsat a meeting on Tuesday.