Speed changes are likely coming along Ridout Street in Walkerton.
On Tuesday, Brockton council will vote on a motion to temporarily lower the speed limit to 40km/h from McGivern to Maple Street. The proposed by-law includes adding 'Watch for Pedestrian' signs along the street until long-term measures like a sidewalk can be implemented.
Members were presented with several interim solutions at their June 6 meeting, and Councillor Kym Hutcheon summarized the majority opinion by saying the first option was the best.
"I do support option one, with signage and lowering the speed limit to 40," she said. "It's a stepping stone to solving the problem on Ridout. We know it's not going to fix it completely, but it is on the radar."
Residents in the area have repeatedly expressed concerns to council about pedestrian safety, as there are no sidewalks on either side of the increasingly busy road.
Council selected the option of reducing the speed limit by 10 km/h and posting signage after another black cat radar study was completed in May. The traffic analysis showed that over 1,000 vehicles travel the sidewalk-less street daily, at an 85th percentile speed of 47km/h.
At their June 6 meeting, Clerk Fiona Hamilton told council that because the measure is temporary, they could waive the public notice requirement that usually comes with traffic by-law change.
"The direction within this motion is for it to be an immediate temporary lowering of the speed limit, such that staff would be bringing back the traffic and parking by-law at the next meeting (June 20), which would bypass what our normal policy would be, which is to advertise any speed reductions in the Brockton Buzz and solicit public feedback in advance," she said.
Mayor Chris Peabody said in the long term, installing a sidewalk will prove challenging because of the presence of utility poles on both sides of the street.
Council meets Tuesday, June 20 at the Cargill Community Centre at 7 p.m.
