Perhap$ if the city could charge a toll or rai$e taxe$ to Highland resident$,their $afety concern$ would carry more weight.

I have to say that I agree with the ruling. Knocking the speed limit down sends a precident; if they could do it, why can't we? Just send the cops out to enforce to 50 km/h limit.

I do agree that many roads in town are used by commercial traffic that shouldn't be. The commercial traffic should stick to the main roads and not worry about trying to miss a light to save 30 seconds.

The city made the right decision, changing #'s on the sign is not going to slow down most. How many of us are doing 55 in a 40 zone. We are use to driving a certain speed, not watching the speedo. So really it is not gonna change a thing. Sure we can send our cops to hand out tickets, but seriously, that will only catch 1/1000 of the speeders.

"We will try the least expensive first then revist to see if there is any change, for instance, adding one new speed sign reduced speed by about 5km/hour."

Actually two signs were added (one in each direction).

It was hoped that they would make a difference but my own observation is that those who drive at 75 km/h and faster have not slowed down at all.

The city has ignored the fact that Highland Drive is NOT a level street. It has a steep hill section which acts like a slingshot in one direction and as a signal to speed up in the opposite direction in order to take a run at the hill.

That is why speeding is happening all the time in both directions.

When assessing traffic problems ALL parameters must be given consideration, including changes in elevation.

I don't believe that allowing 60km/h as a norm and higher speeds as an unfortunate incurable side effect does anything to make the residents feel safer.

They did not voice their concerns because they were ignorant but because their concerns were (and still are!) based on observable year round facts.

There won't be any speed enforcement. There never was any and there is no extra RCMP to do some now.

Great!

Are there any other roads in the Ctiy with a 40 km/h limit? Obviously school and playgound zones are 30 km/h when in effect, but I'm not aware of anything else that isn't 50 km/h.

Like others have said, if there is a current problem with speeding, it's the drivers. Most people who speed will not respect the posted limit regardless of what it is. They'll drive whatever speed they want and tell you to mind your own business if you suggest otherwise. Just spend some time in playground and school zones in this City. I don't know how many times I've almost been rear ended when I slow down to 30 km/h, let along the times I've been passed and/or flipped the bird while doing the same.

I agree send the cops out to enforce the current 50 km/h speed limit. We need more signs in the city to remind the idiots of what the speed limit is. Take a drive down Ospika at 50 and you'll be passed by just about everyone.

"Take a drive down Ospika at 50 and you'll be passed by just about everyone"

Then the speed limit is too slow, it should be 60 with a devided two lane.

It is because the area is the Hart, easily ignored as usual. We noticed that since they opened the scales again the commercial traffic bypasses the scales and uses Austin Road to Foothills - nothing like watching a fully loaded logging truck head through an area with 3 schools, at top speed. If this was happening in College Heights there would be a very different response. Why would these volunteers put in so much time and effort if there wasn't a problem? Are they going to cut down the trees that obscure the corners, fix the pot holes and widden the road? Why is it so difficult and expensive to put in pedestrian crossings - surely one of the "consultants", hired by the city for a couple hundred grand every time you turn around, could be skipped to put down some paint and allow pedestrians some feeling that they have the right to cross a road. I would also say to my neighbours who live in the Hart area, SLOW DOWN! This is your neighbourhood and if you don't respect it how can you point fingers at others?

The city won't do anything about this problem until a tragedy occurs.
They, like so many of our political masters, seem to be highly proficient at reacting to situations that to them arise from relative obscurity.
Of course it is easy to criticize their actions, but through our taxes, we pay for the right to question the motives and decisions of our government. The members of the governments are paid to do a job, we should and do have the right to comment on their results, or lack thereof.
metalman.

"If this was happening in College Heights there would be a very different response."

Complete bull.

It's rather touching to see the NIMBY's on Highland banding together to try and force the alleged commercial vehicle problem onto someone else's neighbourhood. I guess backing Rogers in the last election wasn't enough to get him on board though. Too bad.

All that's really needed to fix the speeding issue is a few well placed speed bumps. Changing a sign won't do squat.

It would be nice if those big ass piles of snow at the corners were removed though. As well as that big tree at the corner of Poyner and Highland.

"Then the speed limit is too slow, it should be 60 with a devided two lane."

Nice logic there. If we don't like to follow the rules it must mean the rules are wrong and should be changed. It doesn't really matter if the road is divided, there are parks, schools, and residences all along that road. If you are in such a hurry to get somewhere leave earlier.

I didn't say I was in a hurry to go anywhere.

"It's rather touching to see the NIMBY's on Highland banding together to try and force the alleged commercial vehicle problem onto someone else's neighbourhood."

First of all, the alleged commercial vehicles are not *alleged* but real vehicles.

Second, nobody is trying to force these commercial vehicles onto someone else's neighbourhood, because TWO truck routes already exist for them: Foothills and the Hart Highway!

Shouldn't common sense and some consideration for the safety of fellow citizens living in residential areas make them use the highways designed for truck traffic?

No, obviously not.

Sad state of affairs when the officials hired to look after these matters are unable to achieve a better result.

"The city won't do anything about this problem until a tragedy occurs. "

Precisely!

Install potholes.

"Shouldn't common sense and some consideration for the safety of fellow citizens living in residential areas make them use the highways designed for truck traffic?"


Common sense and consideration for fellow citizens should occur everywhere, not just in your back yard. Take a look at the insults hurled by the owner of this site towards the "idling fairies" several weeks ago. He wants our sympathy towards speeders in his neighbourhood yet he derides the efforts to reduce automobile pollution in other neighbourhoods? That's hypocrisy at it's finest.

I only travel Highland twice a day so I may not have as much insight into the problem as people like diplomat and Meisner who live there but, the speeding I see is not from people passing through but rather it is from people coming out or going into their side streets.

Find a way to end people's love affair with their automobile then perhaps you can work towards fostering a culture wherein people do show consideration for their fellow man.

I have lived on Poyner Cres since 1977. The problem is the design of Highland Drive. The way it was made puts you on a constant turn which reduces good sight lines from the side streets. Winter makes the problem worse with the high snow banks because you have to inch out almost into the middle of Highland in order to see if there is any traffic coming. The other side of Poyner is just as dangerous because of the speed that vehicles reach coming down the hill.

Reducing the speed would reduce the danger, but seeing a slower speed limit observed by drivers would take many hours of RCMP enforcement.

I do not understand why loaded logging trucks use Highland Drive when they could be using Foothills Blvd.

faxman:"Common sense and consideration for fellow citizens should occur everywhere, not just in your back yard."

This is a technical and safety issue. Personal attacks and snide insinuations make no contribution whatsoever towards a satisfactory solution.

faxman:"... the speeding I see is not from people passing through but rather it is from people coming out or going into their side streets."

You are totally wrong! In fact the people who are going INTO their side streets are the ones that always go slow so they can make the turn!!!

The ones who are coming ou of a side street are entering onto Highland Drive from a standstill at a stop sign!

How could they be speeding???

You have made those wrong claims in the past when this issue was being discussed here before!

They are as baseless now as they were then.

Have a nice day!

When you read the comments, you no longer wonder why people don’t have the courage to identify themselves when they make statements on matters they know nothing about.
The residents of Highland Drive went to council asking for a 40 kilometre speed limit, because they said ,and had you listened, and read, the police wouldn’t enforce that limit until the vehicles drive at speeds of 50 kilometres, which is what the maximum speed limit, not minimum is now.Fifty enforced is what they asked for.
At 50k the police won’t enforce the limit until traffic goes 60 or better, and City Hall knows that the road was built to accommodate traffic at a maximum, not minimum of 50-K.
As for police presence, you could get a ride the moon easier on the Hart.

I recollect the song and dance the city and the folks had to go through to get the speed limit changed on lower Foothills a few years ago. And there were no people 's housing facing Foothills Blvd. Then it occurred to me after all this is that is why nothing gets done in Ottawa either.

I followed a laoded logging truck down Highlands Drive a few weeks ago, it got me thinking about the debate that was had on this site a few months ago, so I was curious where he went and what he did.

He stopped on the side of the road (that is illegal for him to do with a truck on a residential road) He jumped out of his truck, left it idling, walked along the street, to the doorway of a house, there someone handed him a package which appeared to be a lunch, atleast I presumed that is what it was. He then left.

As somebody else mentioned on this page (faxman, I had to look, couldnt remember) the locals should spend allot of time looking in their mirrors and talking to their neighbors, I think allot of the problems they have can be directly attributed to their neighbors and themselves.

Then again maybe them holligans in College Heights are doing drive by's to piss of the residents of Hart Highlands, I wouldnt put it was them.

Unreal....only in PG.. Bunch of winers...

A trucker stops and gets some lunch. Out Of all the local truck traffic in PG, they have the least amount of accidents!

You people in Hart Highlands get a grip...trucks need to haul up there be it gravel or otherwise..Speed limits unless outherwise posted in the city of PG is 50kmh...simple those that go over will regardless of the law...

And lets not waste our Police forces time keeping these people happy....you are no more important than the rest of us taxpayers..

"When you read the comments, you no longer wonder why people don’t have the courage to identify themselves when they make statements on matters they know nothing about."

Maybe you could tell me where else in town we have a 40 km/h posted limit and what makes Highland Drive so special?

getajob

if you look back on this subject a month or so ago, you will find that I was the guy who was against all the changes.

My comment about the logging truck, there was allot of sarcasm there. In the previous discussions it was being painted that commercial trucks had turned Highland Drive into a new trucking route to avoid the scales. I am trying to point out that much of the traffic there is local, and truckers do actually live in Hart Highlands.

Harbinger:"I recollect the song and dance the city and the folks had to go through to get the speed limit changed on lower Foothills a few years ago."

A woman jogger was killed there. Often it is only after a fatality that proper action is taken.

However, if citizens get together out of concerns for safety and with the desire to prevent something like that from happening they get lambasted by some posters as whiners and worse.

Nice going!

Stompin Tom
Ya fair enough,,,I guess i never read those old posts...But i still say 40kmh is being a lilttle silly...
I much rather see the RCMP focus on the crack shacks and gangs....
I, agree that, speeding is a stupid practice however, it's not a high percentage that do it.

Increase the fines and make it payable in 30days or less. No pay no drive!

The speed limit on Foothils between first avenue and just north of cranbrook hill road was increased from 50 to 60, not decreased.