The speed limit in the small community of Banks will be lowered to 50 km/hr.
At its meeting on Oct. 12, Grey County council approved three speed limit changes on county road 119. Two sections of the road on the east and west side of Banks will have the speed limit increased to 70 km/hr, while a 665 metre length of road through Banks will have the speed lowered to 50 km/hr.
In July, local Banks residents attended county council to ask for the speed limit in the area to be reduced.
The 50 km/hr zone required an amendment to the original motion from The Blue Mountains Mayor Andrea Matrosovs. The staff report recommended that the speed limit through Banks be lowered to 60 km/hr.
Matrosovs said lowering the limit to 50 km/hr would send a message to drivers that their driving behaviour on County Road 119 needs to change.
“The fact there is a decrease is a signal,” said Matrosovs. “We have to do something different.”
The amendment proposed by Matrosovs generated controversy at the council table. Owen Sound Deputy Mayor Scott Greig opposed changing the staff recommended speed of 60 km/hr.
“There has to be a rationale to our decision-making,” he said.
Greig said the staff recommendation was made “based on engineering principles” and council shouldn’t be deciding speed limits at an “emotional level.”
A staff report on the issue found that the average speed in Banks was 74.7 km/hr and that almost 71 per cent of drivers were speeding (one km/hr or more over the limit). However, it did not find justification for the limit to go lower than 60 km/hr.
“Transportation Services has accepted the change from 60 km/hr to 70 km/hr per hour but felt that 50 km/hr near Banks was too slow and would create more risk. As some motorists generally always follow the posted speed, a limit posted much too low creates a larger disparity between vehicle speed, reducing the amount of time the driver has to react,” said Pat Hoy, the county’s director of transportation, in the report.
The amendment split county council, but did get enough support to pass. Although the vote was not recorded, Warden Brian Milne declared the amendment carried after counting 10 votes in favour.
Staff said the speed limit changes will be incorporated into the county’s bylaw in January when the annual update to the bylaw comes to council.
Banks resident Maryana Prystayko, who led the June delegation to county council that requested the speed limit reduction, was happy with the decision.
“That’s very good news and I am happy to hear the outcome. I am also very grateful to Madame Matrosovs for her support on this matter,” she said in an email. "Residents of the Banks have been watching the county’s meeting remotely and are pleased and grateful for the amendment to the posted speed with additional proposed safety measures. We look forward to the new signs showing 50 km/hr shortly in the New Year."
