Sign beside the inbound lane on Pond Shore Rd.
Help may be coming soon for Pond Shore Road residents who have been calling for reduced speed limits to protect themselves, their children, cyclists, joggers and walkers who travel the narrow, winding road.
“I’m very pleased,” said retired teacher Don Gouthro on learning that the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DTI) may give the town the power to lower the speed limits on the provincially designated highway also known as Rte. 940.
Gouthro has been asking the town for 11 years to lower speed limits on a road where he regularly sees drivers travelling well over 80 in a 60 kmh zone.
“That was always the response, ‘it’s in the hands of the province, we cannot do anything because it’s in the hands of the province,'” he says.
“Now it seems the province is turning it over to the town, so maybe now that they do have control, maybe they will act and maybe we’ll get some results.”
During last night’s council meeting, Town Engineer Dwayne Acton referred to a letter from DTI granting municipalities more control over designated highways.
“We’ve never been able to set speed limits, so we’re wondering where this came from, what the requirements are (and) what do we have to do,” Acton added.
Councillor Andrew Black said the council committee on policy and bylaw had discussed the issue at length.
“Having information from DTI about setting speed limits is a first, so rather than just jump and change the speed limit, there’s a lot of things that need to be considered,” he added.
Black said recommendations for council should be ready by February.
For his part, Don Gouthro says that while he’s pleased the town may finally be able to act, he believes more RCMP enforcement including speed traps would also help.
Gouthro, whose grandchildren live across from his home at 81 Pond Shore, is hoping the town will reduce the speed limit from 60 to 50 kmh on his section of road and from 80 to 60 on the stretch from Mount View Road to the town limits near the NB Power lines.
“My daughter lives just this side of that blind hill and this weekend, a car came speeding over there and unfortunately, their cat was killed,” he says.
“It was more of a speeding issue than anything else and we’re thankful it was a cat and not a child.”
The DTI letter came in response to one from Acting Mayor Ron Aiken. To read both, click here and here.
Wow, this is amazing news. Thank you so much Bruce for your unrelenting efforts in obtaining these emails and the attached chart from our Deputy Mayor.
It would appear that these steps are already in effect and the chart itself will be attached to the new Municipal Manual next summer so that ALL citizens will finally be aware of who is responsible for what. The road safety of all our citizens will be greatly enhanced and one can only hope that the Town acts on these new responsibilities just as soon as possible. Lives are at stake here.
Putting all road speed limits and crosswalk signage (especially by Salem School) now in the hands of our Town is such a massive step forward.
It is definitely a Good News Week!
Unfortunately posted lower speed signs will not help as there are a # of young ppl who just don’t care…the same cars zoom by here on Folkins Dr. If the RCMP are not around to do radar and catch some of these ppl…the speeding will continue. It happens no matter where you live.