SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Some city councillors are questioning a petition by Niven Lake residents requesting a lower speed limit in the area.

John Monroe said the blind corner up from his house warrants a speed limit of 30 km/h on Niven Drive. - Charlotte Hilling/NNSL photo

City council discussed the petition at a committee meeting Monday. The petition was signed by 34 residents, and calls for the speed limit to be lowered to 30 from 45 km/h on five streets but several councillors were hesitant to support it.

The streets in discussion are Niven Drive, Haener Drive, de Weerdt Drive, Driscoll Road and Moyle Drive.

"When you look at Niven Drive, it's a big wide road and doesn't really feel like a 30 km road," said Coun. Paul Falvo. "There are obvious benefits to going slowly but it may be that enforcement may be more of an issue."

Coun. Cory Vanthuyne, a Niven Lake resident, said the 34 signatures on the petition, did not accurately reflect the views of most Niven residents.

"I live in the area and so from a personal standpoint I don't identify a speeding issue," he said.

"In all honesty I only see a very small section of Niven Drive represented ... I don't see it having significant representation from all the roads it's referencing."

City administrator Max Hall said the municipal enforcement department (MED) had on several occasions conducted speeding surveys in the area.

"MED has gone out and kept tabs on how many speeders they've caught and how many tickets they've issued and it's not deemed to be a problem," he said.

He said the tests were conducted during the summer months, and Hall suggested a winter survey may be useful too.

"The summer months are inclined to have better road conditions and faster traffic, we could monitor this on a couple of occasions through the winter and report back with the results," he said.

Dennis Kefalas, director of public works and engineering, added to the discussions, saying the speed limit for Niven Drive - a collector road - is actually below the usual limit in other communities.

"The current speed limit is somewhat below normal, which is usually 50 km an hour for a collector type road," he said.

"A lot of jurisdictions in Canada are going to a lower speed limit but those are essentially reserved for what we call local roads - cul-de-sacs etcetera," he said.

"You'll find that studies show if you reduce the speed limit to 30 km in what people consider a collector (road), the average speed is still 42 km/hr," he said.

John Monroe, one of the 34 signatories, said many of the petitioners are concerned about the safety of their children, but he signed because he was worried about a blind corner on Niven Drive.

"The particular stretch that I'm on isn't bad, but further on down there's a blind corner with drive ways that make it difficult to see and it's slippery," Monroe told council.

Robin Weber expressed her opposition to the petition at the Monday meeting.

"I have a vested interest in traffic flow, not traffic stopping," she said.

"A lot of people think that traffic should be slowed, particularly in their own neighbourhood, and I disagree."

She said roads were designed to be driven on, not to be safe havens for children.

"I think that roads are for transportation and that we should allow vehicles to flow and move as they are meant to," she said.