WHEREAS the speed limit in municipalities in British Columbia is 50 kmhr unless otherwise posted, with no differentiation made between major municipal roads, arterial roads and local residential streets; AND WHEREAS issues relating to vehicular speeding, pedestrian safety and traffic calming have become matters of significant and growing concern in many communities throughout the province, with municipal councils being requested to take substantive and potentially costly action to reduce speed limits on individual residential streets, institute lower blanket speed limits across residential neighbourhoods and or throughout the municipality, and generally implement other pedestrian safety, speed control, public awareness and enforcement initiatives as deemed necessary to address the problems: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Union of BC Municipalities reiterate its previous request to the Minister of Transportation that the necessary amendments be made to the Motor Vehicle Act to allow municipalities to implement blanket speed zones in residential areas, and on other municipal roadways as deemed appropriate.
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE Within a municipality, the Motor Vehicle Act establishes a default speed limit of 50 kmh. To vary this speed limit, the municipality must pass a bylaw and post signs on all affected streets so that a motorist can reasonably be expected to know the applicable speed limit. For several years, various municipalities and UBCM have requested an amendment to the Act to provide authority to municipalities to establish, by bylaw, blanket speed zones that would apply to defined areas within a municipality. Under this scheme, speed limit signs would be placed at entrances to the defined areas where the posted speed limit was different than 50 kmh. For example, Vancouver wants to implement 40 kmh blanket speed zones in many residential areas as a means to better accommodate active transportation and improve pedestrian safety. Vancouver is currently consulting with stakeholders, including other municipalities in the Lower Mainland, TransLink, and the BC Association of Chiefs of Police in respect of this concept. Within a municipality or with many roads across adjacent municipalities providing access to a defined area, the possibility of a motorist not being aware of the applicable speed limit is an issue. Criminal Justice Branch is concerned that the use of blanket speed zones in an urban environment may result in 1 a patchwork of speed limits, and 2 challenges to speeding tickets on the basis that motorists cannot reasonably know the applicable speed limits established by bylaws and posted only at entrances to defined areas. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure advises that UBCM and municipal proponents of blanket speed zones need to develop a solid case for the requested amendment, one that addresses the issues of enforcement. The Ministry is looking forward to the results of Vancouvers stakeholder consultations regarding the use of blanket speed zones in the Lower Mainland.