Rossland Slows Down

This war on cars is getting pretty goofy.

Limits were reduced on some roads in Victoria, primarily downtown roads and a couple of arterial roads, one of which is 4 lanes. 

Statistics provided by the city of Victoria show speeds on most roads were already in line with what would be expected from 40kph limits, yet the city went ahead and ordered tens of thousands worth of signs to get motorists to do what they're already doing.

The usual claims of "urban livability" and "quality of life" were made.  If cars drove slower, more people would feel safer walking and letting their dogs and children run around in the road.  But my guess is that if you asked 100 people what would improve their quality of life, speed limits would be quite far down the list.  Health, relationships, work - all things that have a far greater impact than speed limits.   

Slower means quieter, right?  Most noise produced by cars is when accelerating from a stop, not cruising at 40kph.  The lowered limits has done nothing to make heavy duty vehicles less irritating at 10pm. 

Until we ban smoking on sidewalks, aggressive panhandling, open drug dealing and use and the disposal of needles and condoms in doorways and alleyways, speed limits will have virtually zero impact on urban livability. 

My prediction for Rossland:  It'll be the residents who begged for this change who will be the ones getting the tickets.  After all, it's always "the other guy" who is the problem. 

The reduction of Ross ands' speed limit from 40 to 30 kph is perplexing.  40 kph was already very low.  30 kph is easily attainable on a bicycle.  Are Rossland RCMP now going to be tasked with ticketing cyclists as well as motorists?  They're going to be busy enforcing this piece of social engineering.  

I've driven through the lovely town of Rossland, and never felt the previous speed limit was unsafe.  The new lower limit is nothing but a driving distraction; my eyes need to be focused on the road ahead, not on my speedometer trying to adhere to their civic councils' poorly conceived concept of a safe driving speed.  Adhering to unrealistically low speeds is really just another form of distracted driving, and not productive.

@Phrontistes

I regularly walk my neighbourhood as well as those belonging to friends and family.

My neighbourhood consists of mixed 50kph and 40kph zones.  As a pedestrian, I percieve no difference in safety when crossing from one speed zone to another.  The primary driver of traffic volume, speed and congestion is the type of the road, *not* the speed limit.  In fact we've recently had two cars drive into buildings - both in, or just entering 40kph zones. 

As a pedestrian on my regular walks I'm far more bothered by the wafting cigarette and marijuana smoke I have to contend with than how fast a car is passing me.  Or the piles of garbage and unwanted furniture I have to dodge.  Or the drug paraphernalia I have to not step on. 

A friend lives in one of the very neighbourhoods identified by your group as needing protection from the terrible motorists - yet she regularly finds in her yard are piles of human excrement that the homeless/drug addicts leave behind.  How's that for livability and quality of life?  Yet some cars doing 5kph more than you believe is safe is somehow a priority?  Get a grip.

Reduce all vehicular speed limits to zero and prohibit pedestrians and bicycles from all streets.

IF IT SAVES ONE LIFE! ......  See the logic? How far do we go down this risk reduction path - until we can no longer do ANYTHING?

Now, go to The Isle of Man and see how they do it. Cops don't have guns and most don't even carry batons. There are NO speed limits outside of city/village limits. Speed limits within the cities/villages are loosely enforced in the sense that if it is a bright sunny day with no kids/traffic you will not get a ticket at 40 mph (30 mph limit), but if it is a dark and rainy night with poor visibilty you might get a ticket even if you are UNDER the speed limit. It is called COMMON SENSE and it works very, very well. Keep in mind that this is small island that hosts the annual Isle of Man TT motorcycle races (108th year) when +50,000 vistors invade the island - and it all works.

Compare IoM accident/crime rates with BC's - you will find them most interesting.

Finally, please do not give me the "It won't work here" argument, that is simply nonsense.

Jerry Cutler

Tsawwassen

I wonder if there are Bell Curve types of graphs of Safety vs Speed for highways and cities. Or Maybe a double bell with a regular bell followed by an inverted one.

I know, for myself, the faster I am driving, the more I stay totally focused on the task. Eyes constantly scanning the verges, sidewalks, cross streets, etc., for hazards. The slower I drive,  the harder it is to stay keep my eyes ahead, and not daydream or sightsee.

I wonder if in fact there is any science to Rossland's decision, or did someone just make a decision on their "opinion" rather than "fact".

In a sleepy little town of 3500, with no traffic lights, it won't matter much to the "bigger picture", unless other communities climb on board the band wagon.

I read somewhere on a Highway Engineering report, that the majority of people drive to the speedthat they believe is safe, and that most accidents occur when there is a wide differential in speeds between the vehicles on the road : Those that follow their instincts, and those who follow the posted speedregardless.

Just curious.

Speed is greed?  Tell that to the cyclists who blast through occupied crosswalks at full speed while yelling to pedestrians to "get back"  Tell that to pedestrians who run across against "don't walk" signs, holding up traffic.

EVERYONE likes to get places quickly and efficiently.  "Speed is greed" and "Twenty is plenty" are just a couple of many conveniently rhyming anti-car sentiments often spewed by those who want everyone around them to fall victim to the heavy hand of government. 

During discussions on Victoria's speed limits, a Victoria councillor commented on speed in the Rockland neighbourhood.  Residents whined that cars were driving too quickly through "their"roads and asked for more speed enforcement.  After the enforcement campaign, residents claimed they were being targeted in "their" own neighbourhood.  It was the people who lived there who complained about their own speeding and paid the price for it when the law came knocking.

Thanks to groups like the one Phrontistes runs, community residents are becoming ever more fearful of being stopped by the police in the course of carrying out their safe and reasonable activities.  Urban livability and quality of life mean nothing if you have to constantly check to ensure you're in compliance with the law. 

Yes we have speeders in Rossland as you do everwhere, slowing the speed limits are not going to slow these speeders down because in Rossland we don't have a police force, they occasionally drive up from Trail.

Why wasn't the problem with drivers totally ingnoring stop signs brought up, and believe me in Rossland this is a problem. The four way stop sign at Davis and Thompson Ave might as well be removed  as I don't know the number of times after I had stopped then went to proceed some dummie drives right on thru forcing me to stop again.

The main street which is Columbia Ave (Highway 3B) a double solid yellow line and drivers u-turn in front of you to park across the street, or drivers back out, cross the centre line to go in the other direction. There is three intersections in Rossland under the old by-laws which make it legal to do a u-turn and even some RCMP are not aware of this as I know people who have been ticketed for using these intersections for a legal u-turn. These are Spokane St. & Columbia Ave,(Hwy 3B), Queen St, & Columbia Ave. (Hwy 3B) Columbia Ave. and Monte Christo St. up by the Court House.

Parking on Columbia Ave is also a real problem because Rossland parking by-laws are not enforced to the degree they should be and drivers know this so they overpark the time limits, park in front of curbs with yellow paint, park on hatch marked roadways, in bus stops etc. Lets not forget the number of drivers who ignore the Handicap parking stalls. Yes many drivers park backed in to a parking spot facing the direction that when they exit this parking spot they have to cross that double solid line.

What about the bikers of whom we have many that ignore the traffic laws such as Stop signs, crosswalks etc.

It just amazes me when something that is scientifically proven safer can be argued against with such passion from "speeders", like baxter for instance that even acknowledges many drivers are "poor drivers" but in the same breath supports higher speeds,,,, How can they not see the reality? Speed is Greed is correct,,, and Greed Blinds all common sense.