NEW PROGRAM TO ADDRESS NEIGHBOURHOOD SPEEDING CONCERNS

The City of Saskatoon and Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) are responding to growing concerns about speeding in residential neighbourhoods with the introduction of a Residential Speed Management Program.

“We have been hearing from citizens that residential speeding is increasingly becoming an issue,” says Angela Gardiner, Director of Transportation. “It is of particular concern, given these roadways are often shared with pedestrians and cyclists, and are in close proximity to community gathering points such as schools and parks.”

The Residential Speed Management Program involves the City working with the SPS to identify and then address neighbourhood speeding using a variety of tools including speed boards, road signage, targeted police enforcement and public education.

After a review of concerns brought to the attention of City Administration and Police, as well as consultation with members of City Council, an initial list of 24 neighbourhoods across the city where residential speeding is a significant issue has been developed. A speeding blitz will begin in those neighbourhoods in February. Other problem areas will be added to the list as they are identified.

“We will be paying close attention to residential speeding in the coming weeks and cracking down on offenders,” says Inspector, Mitch Yuzdepski. “The blitz will begin in the neighbourhoods of Willowgrove, Hampton Village, Sutherland, Willows and Silverwood Heights, before moving on to the other priority locations over six weeks.”

The speed limit on all city streets is 50 km/h unless posted otherwise. Speeding tickets start at $120 and go up $10 for every 10 km/h over the speed limit.

“In some cases residential speeding can be attributed to lack of awareness about the speed limit,” says Gardiner. “Part of what we hope to accomplish through this program is to raise the awareness of the speed limit and tools such as speed boards and public education materials will help us do that.”

Citizens can report a concern and request an investigation by phone or by completing a brief report on the City’s website at Saskatoon.ca. Search for ‘Report a Neighbourhood Traffic Concern’ or call Transportation Customer Service at 306-975-2454.

Initial neighbourhoods to be prioritized include;

Sutherland, City Park, Caswell Hill, Montgomery Place, Riversdale, Pacific Heights, Confederation Park, Hampton Village, Dundonald/Westview, Mount Royal, Silverwood Heights, Lawson Heights, Grosvenor Park, Varsity View, Nutana, Willows, Avalon, Stonebridge, College Park East, Greystone Heights, Brevoort Park, Lakeview, Lakeridge and Willowgrove.