A new 50 km/h zone on Highway 26 near Craigleith is not meant to be a "speed trap," say local OPP.
An official from the Collingwood/Blue Mountains Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) detachment says they have little say when it comes to determining the posted speed limit on local roads.
“We do not have any say in what speed limit is applied where. The cities, towns and the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) decide those based on the statistics that we provide them, or other concerns, like pedestrian traffic,” says Martin Hachey, media relations officer with the Collingwood/Blue Mountains OPP.
In mid-June the MTO reduced the posted speed limit on Highway 26 from Delphi Lane to Grey Road 21 from 80 km/h to 50 km/h, at the request of the Town of the Blue Mountains (TBM) council.
“I am not sure what information was utilized to reduce this stretch to 50 km/h, but certainly, it is not a speed trap and we [the OPP] did not set this up on our own,” Hachey says.
He adds that he can understand how members of the public might perceive it as a speed trap because of the fluctuating speeds along that route.
“Some folks might feel that way as they are used to doing 80 km/h and now the speed is down to 50 km/h. And, if you were doing five or 10 over the posted limit, you are now doing 40 km/h over. So, for some I am sure they look at that and are concerned,” Hachey says.
The new 50 km/h speed limit will remain in effect until Tuesday, Oct. 13, at which point it is expected to return to 80 km/h.
“If this change was made, it was done for a reason. And, we are enforcing it as we do any other area as part of our daily duties,” Hachey explains.
TBM councillor and chair of the TBM transportation committee, Rob Sampson says the change in speed was required as the town is currently dealing with a large influx of traffic.
“We can’t direct the OPP, but we can do what we can from our end to try and calm traffic in the area,” Sampson says.
“I live in that area and I have seen a huge shift in traffic. The pressures are here. We are living them and they are not going to be getting any better,” he continued.
Hachey says that since the speed was adjusted, officers have not reported much of a change in incidents.
“According to the officers I have talked to nothing has changed much at this point. The signage is there and I think people are understanding it. I have not heard of any increase or decrease in the number of collisions or injuries,” Hachey says.
TBM’s transportation committee is in the process of examining the stretch of highway and the posted speed limits, and hopes to develop a long-term solution for the area.
