Why 30 km/hr Should be the New Residential Speed Limit

From May 1 to October 31, 2010 6 Edmonton neighbourhoods will have their residential speed limit reduced from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr to pilot the possibility of introducing a new city wide residential speed limit. Many Canadian cities have either chosen or are in the midst of piloting this 40 km/hr speed limit to increase the safety of pedestrians in residential areas.
It has been shown in many studies that a pedestrian hit at 50 km/hr has a 90-100% probability of death. Hit at 40 km/hr there is a 30% probability of death; hit at 30 km/hr there is a 5% probability of death. If you really doubt whether speed impacts pedestrian safety, do this simple experiment yourself: find a brick wall and walk into it at a quick pace. Next, run as fast as you can into the brick wall and compare how much pain you feel in the two circumstances. From this research it has been determined that 30 km/hr is the safest speed for pedestrian environments. When cities choose a 40 km/hr residential speed limit, they are choosing to compromise with drivers, allowing pedestrians a 30% probability of death in order for drivers not to be slowed down too much as they pass through residential areas. Compromise is the foundation of our democratic society so I am willing to accept 40 km/hr as the new residential speed limit for my community.
The problem arises however, in how EPS will enforce this 40 km/hr speed limit. If drivers when seeing the “Maximum 40 km/hr” sign actually drove up to a maximum of 40 km/hr then our communities would become safer places for pedestrians. The reality is however, that the Edmonton Police Service allows a tolerance level of 11 km/hr over the speed limit before they begin ticketing drivers. Everyone knows this – as Councilor Don Iveson has pointed out it is Edmonton’s worst kept secret.
Transport Canada prepared a report on speeding in 2007 discovering that 7 in 10 Canadians admit to speeding despite considering speeding dangerous and leading to increased risk of collision, injury or death. The report goes on to say that drivers surveyed admitted to an average speed that was 7 kilometres over the speed limit on residential streets. “It’s fair to assume” the report states that “the real numbers are considerably higher...because most drivers underestimate the extent of their speeding and consider it to be benign”. This report reflects the fact that drivers look at the posted speed limit and choose to do a little or a lot over that limit because they know that they can get away with it. So introducing a new 40 km/hr speed limit means that 7 out of 10 of us will really drive 47 km/hr and some of us will go 51 km/hr or more before worrying about getting ticketed. According to research a pedestrian risks a 70% probability of death if hit at this speed. Will reducing the residential speed limit from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr result in safer communities? I think not.
The City of Edmonton’s Office of Traffic Safety and the Transportation Department who should be concerned for the safety of pedestrians state that they are suggesting a 40km/hr limit because of concern over “push back” from drivers if they go too low. According to a 2008 Safe Kids Canada Harris/Decima survey 74% of drivers would support a law making 30 km/hr the mandatory law in residential areas if they knew it could have a positive impact on child safety. A public ad campaign explaining how reduced speeds drastically reduce danger to pedestrians –especially children -- would be essential to a program introducing a 30 km/hr residential speed limit. The Office of Traffic Safety has introduced many educational programs such as the volunteer run Speed Watch Program, Digital Messaging Signs, Residential Pace Care Program, yet they have not suggested a public awareness campaign through radio, television and the internet to teach the public about the positive impact that 30 km/hr has on child safety. Telling the public to slow down, giving out tickets is one thing but explaining why this is so important to child safety is another. I don’t know about you but when my mother told me to clean up my room, it was helpful to not only be told “or else you won’t be able to go outside and play” but also why cleanliness and orderliness was a value to incorporate in my life. We need to educate the public to value pedestrian safety and to value 30 km/hr as a speed limit that ensures their safety – especially the safety of children.
According to the 2008 Safe Kids Canada report “more child pedestrian injuries take place on residential roads than anywhere else, and the danger is greatly increased as speed increases...child pedestrian incidents are a leading cause of injury-related death for Canadian children under the age of 14. A staggering 2,412 children are seriously injured each year and approximately 30 are killed. The average child pedestrian who is killed in Canada is male, between the ages of 10 and 14 and was crossing the street at an intersection within 5 kilometres of his home.”
Not all of us are willing to keep our children under lock and key at home in front of a computer. There are a growing number of parents saying that it is time our children went out to play in our neighbourhoods. We are seeing the result of children who are spending too much time in “safe” places but are becoming overweight and obese. We need to make our communities safe again by curbing the heavy footed amongst us who are choosing our communities to quickly get from point A to point B while texting and talking on their cell phones. A 30 km/hr residential speed limit with a strong public awareness campaign will go a long way to convincing even the most hurried amongst us of the value of a child’s safety in their community.