LONDON, Ont -- A report from the London Transit Commission (LTC) may be putting a new wrinkle in the city’s plan to reduce speed limits in residential areas.
It’s a case of cost versus safety on London's city streets.
The LTC report says reducing speeds to 40 km/h on collector roads would cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Now city councillors remain divided on whether it's worth making the change.
Either passengers wait longer or taxpayers dig deeper. Those are the choices, according to the LTC, if city buses are required to slow down to a maximum of 40 km/h on collector roads.
Last month council approved a plan to reduce the speed limit on residential side streets to 40, but held off on collector roads before consulting with the LTC.
The report warns that more service hours to make up lost time would add $3.8 million per year in operating expenses, plus $4.8 million for eight new buses.
“We're talking about operating costs to have extra buses on the road, extra drivers on those buses, or we simply reduce our service standards,” says Councillor Shawn Lewis, reacting to the report.
“So that’s not a small amount of money. That’s a significant impact.”
Councillor Elizabeth Peloza says it's worth the cost for safer streets.
“Interestingly enough as councillors come out with, ‘Are we going to do 40 or not on collectors,’ my residents have been writing saying, ‘Can we have it, can you please do it.' A lot of streets are looking for traffic calming measures.”
In the meantime, Lewis is calling for council to hit the brakes on any further changes to speed limits
