A bylaw limiting the speed limit on Main Street in Sundridge will take effect Sept. 8.
That's when the town council next meets and where staff will have the final version of the speed bylaw for council to approve.
The bylaw will take the maximum speed limit to 40 km/h from the present 50 km/h.
It will cover a distance of about two kilometres from where Main Street meets Union Street at the east end to Albert Street at the west end.
The reduced limit is the result of numerous complaints of people speeding on the roadway which runs parallel to Highway 124.
When the issue first came up at council in July, there was a consideration to make the entire street a 30 km/h zone.
That same suggestion came up briefly at council's last meeting but was rejected.
Coun. Steve Hicks said he tested what it was like to drive 30 kilometres an hour on Main Street from one end to the other and said it was very slow.
Coun. Shawn Jackson said at 40 kilometres an hour, a motorist has enough time to brake if something happens.
The remaining streets will maintain their 50 km/h speed limit.
The reduced speed limit coincides with town council buying two radar speed signs that will be put up on Main Street.
The signs simply display the speed of a motor vehicle and keep data on the speed.
They do not have the capability to record specific vehicles travelling above the speed limit or issuing speeding tickets to the driver.
Once up, the municipality will monitor the speed on Main Street with the speed signs for one year to see if other measures are needed to keep drivers within the posted speed limit.
Although the speed limit will soon drop to 40 km/h, it will remain at 30 km/h between 71 Main St. to 136 Main St.
This section of the roadway is designated a Community Safety Zone and is where Sundridge Centennial Public School is located.
- Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the North Bay Nugget. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
