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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A new speed limit sign posted at the foot of Twin Pine Hill on Franklin Ave. going in and out of Old Town has some Yellowknifers up in arms.

William Leard is among them. The Old Town resident said he has to use the route a dozen times or more a day to go uptown.

"There isn't any good reason to do it and they shouldn't do it (if) there is no good reason," Leard said.

Leard said there isn't much going on in the area where the sign is now affixed. There are no schools, playschools, daycares or playgrounds in the area, he said.

According to Leard there are also only three residences - with no children - and three small businesses.

But for Leard the lack of reason doesn't stop there.

"They've got a 45 (km/h) zone on one side of the street and a 30 (km/h) zone on the other side of the street and it makes no sense to me whatsoever," he said.

While the signs do indeed sit adjacent to each other, they face opposite ways.

The 30 km/h sign marks the limit into Old Town and the 45 km/h sign marks the limit out. Drivers can still motor along at 45 km/h up and down the hill, but must put on the brakes once they reach the base of the hill.

"It's just really irritating," said Leard.

But Dennis Kefalas, director of public works, said the sign wasn't that big of a change.

"Right now, 100 per cent of Old Town is actually a 30 km/h zone and before you figured about 90 per cent was," he said.

"We extended the 30 km/h zone about 100 to 150 m up the road," he added.

Kefalas said the change was prompted by numerous concerns in the Willow Flats and Peace River flats areas.

"They were worried about speeders in the area. A lot of children are actually crossing Franklin Avenue," he said.

"We did it in the best interest of the children and the individuals in the Old Town area."

Leard, who first noticed the sign last week, wrote a letter addressed to the mayor, city council and Doug Gillard, manager of the municipal enforcement division.

"I just see stupid shit and (wanted to) do something about it," he said of his decision to write the letter.

In the letter Leard asked why the sign was necessary.

"Is it for public safety, or perhaps public entrapment or perhaps private appeasement?" he asked.

Gillard couldn't answer that question.

"The authorization to put signs up goes through public works. If it has to do with new signs they're the best people to talk to," he said.

"The only thing that we do for new traffic control devices are parking meters."

Leard is hoping the logic behind the sign will come up for discussion at some future council meeting.

"It's bylaw trying to appease everybody and they're screwing everybody up in the process," he said.