The Town of Bonnyville is submitting a request for a speed limit reduction on 50 Ave. coming into town.
During their regular council meeting on Tuesday, April 9, council voted in favour of asking Alberta Transportation to lower the speed limit from 70-kilometres per hour to 50 km/h, along where they will be building a crosswalk by the 37 St. 7-Eleven.
Council voted in favour of building a walking trail along 50 Ave. during their Feb. 12 meeting.
The sidewalk will be from the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre to 7-Eleven.
The idea of reducing the speed limit came before council, after the Community Policing Committee agreed it was a good option for the town.
Coun. Chad Colbourne, who sits on the committee, said they suggested lowering both directions down to 50 km/h instead of 70 km/h when you’re leaving town and 50 km/h when you’re heading into town.
The location of 34 St., which is the turn-off for École des Beaux-Lacs, was another factor taken into account.
”The reason being traffic coming into town, especially right at that point, should be slowing down that way. It allows people to recognize that they have a brand new crosswalk put in,” Colbourne explained.
He continued, “People will see a transition from 100 km/h to 70 km/h to 50 km/h. Then, we just thought the intersection near École des Beax-Lacs, and a lot of the traffic that goes through there at 3 p.m. and 9 a.m., it would just slow everything down.”
Due to 50 Ave. being a secondary highway, any changes to the speed limit need to be approved by the provincial government.
Coun. Ray Prevost recalled when a request was made to lower the maximum speed along Hwy. 41. He noted it took six years before a decision was made by the province.
While council agreed it could take a while to receive confirmation from Alberta Transportation, Coun. Elisa Brosseau said the area is a safety concern as it stands.
”One of the good things is we can show that our town is growing in that direction, so I think that will be one thing that we can use as leverage,” she added.
The walking trail is expected to cost under $300,000. Council decided to cover the expense through surplus or by reallocating existing capital budget funds.
