Downtown Beat: Reducing downtown speed limits would be beneficial

By Medicine Hat News on December 16, 2017.

This summer I was sitting with a friend, having a chat over a hot beverage from Station Coffee Co. We were enjoying the cool morning breeze and admiring the view. Life was beautiful. With a start to the day like that, how could anything be wrong in the world?

Whether a tourist or a local, if you’ve spent any amount of time downtown recently, you know exactly what I’m talking about. On a lazy day, one might come downtown for an appointment, stop at any one of our five independent coffee shops, stroll down the street, peruse through any number of dozens of independent shops, pick up a book at the library, have dinner with a friend, then stay for a movie at the oldest operational movie theatre in the country. Nowhere else in town can you get that variety so close together. Downtown provides a unique and wonderful experience to its visitors.

Despite downtown’s many advantages, there are some aspects preventing it from becoming even better. Downtown’s speed limit is one such aspect. A speed limit for any road tells a driver how fast they can lawfully go. Ideally, the legal speed limit matches the road design so that drivers intuitively go the right speed.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The recent review and subsequent change of the speed limit on Parkview Drive is a perfect example. How could anyone be expected to drive 50 km/h on what feels like a four-lane divided highway? Conversely, going 50 downtown feels too fast. Bulb-outs, mid-block crosswalks, and parked cars all contribute to this feeling. This is intentional. Adding these features to the street all contribute to enhancing the downtown experience that we all love.

Downtown has long adhered to a “pedestrian first” mindset. Municipal planners have been actively trying to create a downtown that fosters a vibrant people-oriented atmosphere. This includes adding features such as hanging flower baskets in the summer, introducing street-side patios, benches and more. Legally requiring cars to slow down will further contribute to the atmosphere.

Direct benefits of lowering the downtown speed limit from 50 to 30 include:

– Fewer accidents due to shorter stopping distance;

– Less serious accidents. Pedestrian survival rates go from 50 per cent to 90 per cent when struck at 50 and 30, respectively;

– Reduced vehicle noise by nearly half; and

– Drivers are more aware of the storefronts. It is hard to visit a store you do not know exists.

These benefits result in a much better experience for downtown visitors.

Downtown deserves better. Lowering the speed limit will help downtown reach its potential. Many other cities (including in Alberta) have already made the change and are reaping the rewards of a more vibrant city centre. It’s time for Medicine Hat to do the same.

Grant Guenther is a local economist and chair of the CCDA Development Committee.