Dear Editor:
District of North Vancouver council's attention to traffic calming initiatives has my full support.
We live on a residential street without sidewalks that is a favourite for families out for some exercise. Neighbours with small children however will not let them walk or cycle alone on the street in fear of vehicles that often don't respect the 50 kilometre/hour speed limit.
North Shore news reporter Tessa Holloway reported on Dec. 1 that council favours traffic calming and speed bumps to control excessive speed.
I would like to suggest another option: Lower the speed to 30 km/h in all residential areas. A 50 km/h speed limit might be fine for Dollarton Highway (where everyone does at least 60), however for residential streets it is clearly excessive.
We only need to look across the inlet to Vancouver where I recently noticed 30 km/h signs popping up on the residential streets. With similar concerns, the European Union issued a directive to limit residential speeds to 30 km/h and this trend is gaining momentum elsewhere.
Statistics also reveal that the chance of a child getting killed by a car increases significantly above 30 km/h.
I have cycled frequently along Fairway Drive, which is on a bus route and has sidewalk speed bumps, a 40 km/h speed limit and a sign warning of heavy fines. I must say, cars coming off Mount Seymour Parkway pay attention to these signals and slow down.
For our street I would be happy with a stencil on the road showing a 30 km/h speed limit. If drivers are paying attention to where they are going, the speed warning on the road will not go unnoticed. Perhaps it will also encourage an awareness to reduce speed in residential areas.
Frederic Rathje North Vancouver
