ABERFOYLE – David and Sandra Pady would like to see the speed limit drop on Concession 4.
As part of a delegation on Dec. 4, David Pady stated, “we appeared four or five years ago making the same request.”
At that time he brought in a petition signed by residents requesting the speed limit on Concession 4, between Sideroads 20 and 35, be reduced to 60km/h.
“We continue to be confused because we never did get a formal response from the township,” Pady said.
He noted there are a number of nearby roads which are posted at 60km/h.
“We are still at 80km/h and the area is getting busier and busier,” he said, attributing some of the additional traffic to Guelph’s growth.
Pady said he did not understand why some roads have a 60km/h limit and others do not, noting, “Our road is hilly and there are a number of blind spots.”
He also pointed to the traffic at the nearby Donkey Sanctuary, where upwards of 200 people are attending specific events.
“We continue to be concerned about the traffic and would like to know what we can do to get the speed limit reduced,” Pady told council.
Councillor Jessica Goyda said she did empathize regarding the speed and increased traffic on the road. Goyda added she understood there were driveways originally placed “where sightlines are not great.”
While Goyda did not have issues with lowering the speed limit, she was uncertain of the ramifications.
“Would we end up with other residents making similar requests?” Goyda asked. “Hopefully we will have staff report back to us on that.”
She added, “In all fairness to you, we need to follow this through and communicate back to you on the reasons for the decision made.”
Councillor John Sepulis agreed with Goyda’s comments on the need for transparency. He too asked about the long-term ramifications of the decision and whether a 70km/h limit could be an option.
Councillor Matthew Bulmer thanked the Padys for their request. He said there are other sections of road “which can be precarious when driven fast,” and noted, “I’m not a big fan of yo-yo speed limits.”
Bulmer agreed things have changed since the speed limits were last looked at.
“I know we can’t plan for rare things, but the events at the Donkey Sanctuary are happening often enough as to be considered regular events,” said Bulmer.
Mayor James Seeley said he would like to see the TAC (Transportation Association of Canada) guidelines report.
“I guarantee you will not be forgotten and you will get an answer,” said Seeley. “However, I also do not want to start arbitrarily changing road speeds. We need to have a report come back to us.”
He said if the township reduced all its roads to 60km/h the OPP might not be able to enforce it.
Seeley noted there may be other options such as the use of traffic warning signals.
Council directed staff to come back with both a recommended speed and the cost to implement a new speed limit.
