This column is written as a correspondence between Maddie the Motorist and Byron the Bicyclist.
Dear Byron.
In your last column, you wrote that pedestrian fatalities decrease a lot with lower speeds. I have tried 40 km/h in town it this past week and find it quite calming.
Are there any cities in Canada that have tried it? Are there any other benefits?
Signed; Maddie the Motorist
Dear Maddie.
When I was cycling near my sister’s place in Toronto last year, I noticed main arterial roads had a 40 km/h speed limit. On one winding residential road with parking on both sides and no sidewalk, the limit was only 25 km/h. It sure felt safer.
A few B.C. cities have implemented lower speed limits. It is just one traffic calming measure to protect vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, people on horses, electric scooters, mobility scooters and people in wheelchairs.
The default city speed limit is still 50 km/h in accord with the B.C. legislation. Cities that have posted lower speed limits in some areas include Victoria, Saanich, North Vancouver and Vancouver.
Another benefit is reduced greenhouse gas emissions. A January 8, 2024 article by Jorg Broschek published in Policy Options states in part: “Reducing the [speed] limits to 30 km/h on more roads is the most obvious way cities can get serious about decarbonizing their transportation infrastructure.”
Transportation is the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, after the oil and gas sector, according to the Government of Canada’s own website. In the United States, it is the leading cause of emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports 58 per cent of transportation emissions are caused by light-duty vehicles, ie. personal vehicles. Reducing vehicle speeds, can reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
Lower vehicle speeds make it safer for everyone, not just drivers. It makes it safer for pedestrians, cyclists, people on electric scooters or horses, people in wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
Plus, Maddie, if you switch, you will also get fresh air and exercise.
Signed, Byron the Bicyclist
Bert Groenenberg has been walking, bicycling and driving in Williams Lake for over 30 years.