The speed limit won’t be cut along a stretch of roadway near Harvey Heights subdivision west of Red Deer.
Aggressive driving by motorists in the area prompted a resident to request council drop the speed limit to 80 km/h from 60 km/h. Harvey Heights is about eight km from the city.
But some Red Deer County councillors questioned whether cutting the speed on a road that had been upgraded recently to a chip seal surface was the right way to go.
Coun. Philip Massier said on Tuesday that cutting the speed limit on an improved road might look as if the county was creating a speed trap and turn a bigger number of drivers into speeders.
Coun. Dave Hoar shared similar concerns. “The road condition is improved so we’re going to reduce the speed limit?” he questioned.
Catching and ticketing drivers going over the existing limit was a better option, he added.
A speed and traffic counter installed by the county patrol along Range Road 284 found that 530 drivers were going between 61 and 80 km/h along the rolling stretch between Hwys 11A and Township Road 384 and that 480 drivers were going 81 to 100 km/h.
Four drivers were clocked at over 141 km/h.
Council voted 5-1 against changing the speed limit, with Coun. Penny Archibald in favour.
Bob Dixon, the county’s senior patrol officer, said they have already made specialized patrols in the area to nab speeders and those will continue.