Callander is planning to make some changes to its community safety zones, those areas surrounding the town’s schools. Currently, the speed allowed within these zones is set at 30 kilometres an hour, and some residents urged council to limit this to times when school is in session, and not a permanent limit, as it is now.
The speed limit will rise to 40 km/h during times when school is out.
Specifically, the zones in question are on Main Street North and Lansdowne Street, “and some residents have expressed concern about the reduced speeds overnight, on weekends, and during summer break,” a staff report to Callander’s council explained.
Municipal staff heard the calls and recommended that council amend the by-law to “reflect a reduced speed only when schools are in session,” and install new signs along the streets to inform residents of when they should expect reduced speeds.
“The provision of safe roadways is paramount to the enjoyment of the community,” staff mentioned. The municipality is shopping around for new signs and is considering signs containing amber lights that will flash when the kids are in school, and the 30 km/h speed limit is in effect between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from September 1 to June 30.
These signs would require some more work to install and maintain, given the electrical component, and staff is looking into solar options as well. Overall, these lit signs cost approximately $3,600 to $4,600 per sign, and the municipality will need four.
Another option is a simple metal sign that can be added to the existing community safety zone sign locations. These signs run around $200, so for about $800 the town can post notices at the four locations. The work should be completed by early summer.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
