The Town of the Blue Mountain (TBM) mayor, Alar Soever says Premier Doug Ford acted immediately on the mayor's request to improve safety along Highway 26.
“It is amazing that the province could move in two days. I think that shows the concern the premier has,” Soever said during a TBM council meeting held earlier today.
Last Monday, Soever penned a letter to the Premier and the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) requesting assistance in slowing the speed of traffic along Highway 26 from 80 km/h to 50 km/h.
“I brought it up with him in a follow-up phone call on Wednesday and an hour later I had a call from the MOT and they put the temporary signs up on Friday,” Soever says.
New 50 km/h speed-limit signs were installed on Friday morning along Highway 26 from Delphi Lane to Grey Road 21, in both directions.
He adds that Ford’s ability to move so quickly on the matter was of great assistance, as TBM was able to reduce the speed limit before the weekend when area traffic increases dramatically.
“The premier has helped us out here,” Soever continued. “We have a big concern this year. The traffic has increased greatly.”
Soever adds he has received both praise and criticism for the decision, but remains consistent that the change is in the best interest of community safety.
“Some people are claiming the new speed will take them all day to get to Collingwood but that is not correct,” Soever said. “If you do the math, if you look at the difference between doing 80 km/h and 50 km/h, it is about 2.36 minutes for that area. I don’t think two minutes is a lot of time to give up to keep our community safe.”
