A road is a road by any other name, but speed limits are based on a number of factors.
Changes to speed limits in Erin did not draw much of a crowd last week as only a few residents came out to a public information session to explain the reasons behind the move.
Mayor Lou Maieron pointed out this was not a council meeting but a public information meeting to let people know about the new speed limits within the town.
“They are to be higher or lower depending on your point of view,” Maieron said.
He felt the public should be made aware of the significant change to take place.
He also considered it an opportunity for public input.
Roads superintendent Larry Van Wyck told those at the meeting the reasons behind the changes.
He explained that because of provincial regulations and the municipality’s status as a town, speed limits in rural areas unless otherwise posted are 50km/h.
Council wants to increase that to 60km/h.
Residents were offered the chance to put their comments in writing so that they could be properly documented.
In that form, Maieron explained, it would give all of council a chance to consider the comments before passage of any bylaw.
Van Wyck offered background as to why Erin is in its current situation.
“Essentially the Town of Erin, and the keyword is ‘town’ was created in 1998.”
He said the former Highway Traffic Acts had default speed limits for townships, villages, towns and built up areas.
At that time, the default for rural areas was 80km/h and 50km/h for towns and villages.
He noted a new Highway Traffic Act was created after various amalgamations had happened.
He said Section 128 of the Highway Traffic Act stipulates that the maximum speed on any road within a municipality is 50km/h except for those which had township status prior to the enactment of the Municipal Act in January 2003.
However Erin became a town on Jan. 1, 1998.
For Erin, the wording of the 2001 Act results in all the unposted roads being 50km/h.
“Therein lies the issue.”
Van Wyck said “for the most part, people in Erin are unaware if there is no sign the speed limit is 50km/h.”
That causes issues with other provincial legislation.
One of those issues is the matter of racing.
“Technically in the Town of Erin, if you are travelling on an unposted rural road, and you are travelling 101km/h, you could be charged with racing and could be found guilty if the letter of the law was followed.”
He said it also becomes problematic for other issues dealt with by the municipality.
Van Wyck explained the size and type of signs used on various roadways is dictated by road speeds.
He said smaller signs can be used on roads with lower speed limits, while larger signs are required on faster roads.
Van Wyck said this applies not only to speed-related signs, but warning signs as well.
In addition the distance a sign is from a hazard is determined by the road’s speed limit as well.
“The faster the speed, the more distance is required to provide warning.”
Van Wyck said municipalities and councils have the option of setting speed limits above 50km/h up to 100km/h.
He added the municipality has done extensive work on studying the roads – such as geometrics and physical conditions of the roads – to see if the speed limits could be raised back to 80km/h.
“For liability reasons and several other factors, we cannot justify raising the speed back up to an 80km/h limit.”
He added the only roads without the 50km/h default are those where bylaws were passed previously instituting another speed limit.
“This leaves the Town of Erin with many kilometres of rural roads which would now need bylaws and posting with the appropriate signs to establish any speed limit which is different from the 50km/h default speed limit.”
He said the town had engaged a consultant to do a survey of all the roads to prepare road profile drawings to compare with current design standards to come up with recommendations.
He noted that the topography of a number of rural roads suggest speed limits of less than 50km/h.
Existing speed limits were also examined compared to study recommendations.
He said some people thought the municipality was arbitrarily trying to reduce the speed limit.
“That was never our intent.”
He said the town is attempting to deal with provincial legislation.
Van Wyck said in 2007 the town also requested the minister of transportation review this aspect of the Highway Traffic Act.
“At that time, we were told the issue was 10 years stale and should’ve been dealt with before then.”
“Fastforwarding to 2012, the issue still isn’t resolved and we are trying to move towards some form of resolution.”
Speed limits also have an impact on minimum maintenance standards for local roads.
Van Wyck explained the minimum standards are used in defence of municipalities in the event of liability claims.
Regulations regarding those standards are based on the classification on the road, which in part is determined by the speed limit and annual averages for daily traffic.
Van Wyck said that lower speed limits on most Erin roads would result in lower road classifications – thus lower minimum standards.
He also noted lower speeds might also affect the township’s driveway standards policy as lower speed limits could alter the adequate safe stopping sight distance requirements.
“There is a significant distance between 60km/h and 80km/h.”
“We also obtained a legal opinion which confirmed our interpretation of Section 128 of the Highway Traffic Act was correct.”
He said the town also considered a document created by the Transportation Association of Canada which acts as a guideline for setting speed limits.
In it a number of criteria are examined including: horizontal alignment, vertical alignment, lane width, roadside hazards, pedestrian exposure, cyclist exposure, pavement surface, number of intersections with public roads and private driveways and whether or not there is on-street parking.
Van Wyck said steep grades present higher risks than flat roads – justifying lower speed limits.
Narrow roads also have the same impact on speeds.
He said narrower roads provide less room to manoeuvre and drivers must travel at lower speeds to avoid encroaching into adjacent lanes or the shoulder of the road.
Van Wyck said roadside hazards include trees, rocks or water.
“In Erin there are instances of trees extending right out to the road.”
He said a lower speed limit is justified when there are more frequent hazards close to the driving lane.
He said some roads without sidewalks, shoulders, trails or increased pedestrian exposure to traffic are considered.
He said rough surface conditions or unpaved roads can also affect manoeuvrability and stopping speeds. A lower posted speed limit is more justified on unpaved or gravel roads.
He said the number of public roadways may not be a major issue in Erin, but driveways are.
He said high densities of intersections with private access driveways may create conflicts with crossing traffic.
He said the matter of on-street parking may not be as big an issue, but it can be a consideration on rural roads with limited visibility.
Van Wyck explained that an extensive number of roads in Erin qualify as only 40km/h according to the results of the road investigation.
There are still a considerable number of roads recommended to be 50km/h.
As to roads which could be designated at 80km/h, “there are very few roads which would meet the physical criteria.”
What the topography means, Van Wyck said, “is that if you were to build a road today for a 80km/h speed limit – it would prove somewhat difficult, if not impossible.”
He added that even with cutting down some of the hills on various road works, “we have not been able to satisfy the requirements to meet the 80km/h speed. That just reinforces our concerns with liability.”
In some locations, Van Wyck said “there is just not enough real estate to cut the hill down far enough to meet the 80km/h speed requirements.”
When concerns arose on the number of recommended speed limits on various stretches of roads, Van Wyck clarified that these were simply consultant recommendations – based on physical geography.
Van Wyck’s suggestion was to have a speed limit of 60km across the board where areas are not signed.
He stressed “we don’t want to make this confusing.”
Van Wyck added that before the bylaw is voted on, it will be reviewed by the township solicitor.
As the meeting progressed, it digressed from an information meeting, to a complaint session regarding rural road conditions.
One resident suggested the speed limit on his road should be 10km/h – based on the condition of the road.
Van Wyck agreed with residents that there are issues wherever there are gravel roads within the municipality.
He said residents adapt to local conditions, but those from outside the area may not.
