Cochrane neighbourhood launches pace car program to slow down speeding drivers

[Tik-Tok]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...ding-1.4452428

A neighbourhood in Cochrane wants to see more drivers ease off the gas pedal and slow down through its streets.

The posted speed limit through Riverview is 30 km/h, but resident Chris Richards says people don't often heed the signs.

"I would say at least 50 per cent are doing more than 30," Richard said. "It's tough to do 30, I'll even admit that myself."

The Riverview Community Association launched a pace car pilot program. People who participate will put a decal on the back window of their vehicles and pledge not to drive too fast.

"Some people refer to the pace car program as 'mobile speed bumps' — if people are doing the limit then other people that might be tending to speed will have to slow down because it kind of calms the whole traffic," said community association president Gerald Ertel.

Maybe if more than 50% of people are speeding, it's time to change the speed limit?

[Seth1968]

I don't know about that neighborhood, but when I'm in a residential area with cars parked on each side and kids playing out front, then I'm doing about 20 and in defensive mode.

[Darell_n]

I didn’t think any communities in Cochrane had that low of a speed limit outside of a playground or school zone. It would be irritating as f*ck.

[revelations]

The lifted truck community willl no doubt "rage back" with coal rolling and other general douchebaggery ...... regardless; what a STUPID idea.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[revelations]

Just took a look - the posted limit in the PLAYGROUND area of riverview is 30. Rest is 50.

https://goo.gl/maps/gAAvsR5kbHJ2

[msommers]

Stupid idea. But as Revelations pointed out, it is a playground zone...

[Star1995]

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...ding-1.4452428



Maybe if more than 50% of people are speeding, it's time to change the speed limit?

So do you keep raising it? 30km/hr today, everyone goes 40km/hr, raise to 40km/h, what if everyone goes 50km/h? do you keep raising it? I assume you have a maximum in mind so what is it?

[Darell_n]

If the article is about a playground zone, then fine the drivers all the way to bankruptcy. Some people learn slower than others. I’m not a fan of photo radar but one at every school zone might be a good idea. I live in a different school zone elsewhere in Cochrane and I could live with this.

[Tik-Tok]

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Just took a look - the posted limit in the PLAYGROUND area of riverview is 30. Rest is 50.

https://goo.gl/maps/gAAvsR5kbHJ2

Something they oddly left out of the article. Seems like
It should have been included.

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So do you keep raising it? 30km/hr today, everyone goes 40km/hr, raise to 40km/h, what if everyone goes 50km/h? do you keep raising it? I assume you have a maximum in mind so what is it?

The article didn't say it was a playground zone, but hypothetically if the entire neighborhood was a 30 zone, then they should make it 50, along with 99% of the residential areas in Canada.

[kertejud2]

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...ding-1.4452428



Maybe if more than 50% of people are speeding, it's time to change the speed limit?

Either you raise the speed limit and just hope people adhere to it, or you change the design of the road that makes speeding comfortable to people, to something that isn't. It's the common problem with most speed limit zones. You can slap a sign all you want, but without a design change it is still a 40/50/60/whatever speed road you're telling people to go slower on. So that means you'd need constant enforcement to deter people, which only works until the enforcement stops because the revenue from it went down to the point you can't justify constantly enforcing it anymore.


A simple start to an actual design fix would be a couple bumpouts at the pedestrian crosswalk. 2m on each side, little more than a parked car, which the street allows, but creates the illusion of a bottleneck which makes people instinctively slow down a bit. Also has the benefit of making the kids more visible when they're trying to cross the street, which the parents can also get behind.

[zhao]

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So do you keep raising it? 30km/hr today, everyone goes 40km/hr, raise to 40km/h, what if everyone goes 50km/h? do you keep raising it? I assume you have a maximum in mind so what is it?

Not sure if serious, or trolling, because there is an obvious answer to that question.





And if 'everyone' went 50 that would indicate the speed limit is to low still, no?

[zhao]

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The article didn't say it was a playground zone, but hypothetically if the entire neighborhood was a 30 zone, then they should make it 50, along with 99% of the residential areas in Canada.

quick google street view of riverview cir shows 30kph signs all over that area on streets with little to no street parking and houses on only one side of the street. I do see old people style strata complexes though, so i'm guessing the geriatrics and over protective stay at home moms in the neighbourhood lobbied to have the limits reduced?

[OTown]

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Either you raise the speed limit and just hope people adhere to it, or you change the design of the road that makes speeding comfortable to people, to something that isn't. It's the common problem with most speed limit zones. You can slap a sign all you want, but without a design change it is still a 40/50/60/whatever speed road you're telling people to go slower on. So that means you'd need constant enforcement to deter people, which only works until the enforcement stops because the revenue from it went down to the point you can't justify constantly enforcing it anymore.


A simple start to an actual design fix would be a couple bumpouts at the pedestrian crosswalk. 2m on each side, little more than a parked car, which the street allows, but creates the illusion of a bottleneck which makes people instinctively slow down a bit. Also has the benefit of making the kids more visible when they're trying to cross the street, which the parents can also get behind.

In an ideal world, sure. But doing design work like that in every single zone would cost a LOT of money.

At the end of the day why are we (as society seems to do nowadays) blaming everyone/everything and ignoring the source of the issue: the driver who cant control a vehicle's speed for a few god damn seconds. You literally save 10 seconds on your trip by slowing down. If someone doesnt want to do so, I'm all in for enforcing it.

Consider it a tax all you want, I'd rather have stupid impatient drivers pay the bill than have property tax increases.

[firebane]

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In an ideal world, sure. But doing design work like that in every single zone would cost a LOT of money.

At the end of the day why are we (as society seems to do nowadays) blaming everyone/everything and ignoring the source of the issue: the driver who cant control a vehicle's speed for a few god damn seconds. You literally save 10 seconds on your trip by slowing down. If someone doesnt want to do so, I'm all in for enforcing it.

Consider it a tax all you want, I'd rather have stupid impatient drivers pay the bill than have property tax increases.

Enforcing by using a human in a vehicle is going to instill rage and someone will get hurt.

[HiTempguy1]

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If the article is about a playground zone, then fine the drivers all the way to bankruptcy. Some people learn slower than others. I’m not a fan of photo radar but one at every school zone might be a good idea. I live in a different school zone elsewhere in Cochrane and I could live with this.

What a retarded thing to say. Please provide stats of kids getting injured or killed due to speeding in playground OR schoolzones.

Fact is, IT NEVER HAPPENS. EVER.

I actually remember once my ex got in a big argument with me because there was a 4 way stop on a crescent road (which makes no sense in the sleepy little subdivision). I pointed it out, and she said it was to slow people down for the playground ahead. I thought that was the dumbest thing ever, its just going to make people MORE in a hurry and irritated while having cost money and having zero benefit.

"But the safety!"

There was no safety benefit. Its all to make people like you feel like you're doing something.

[Sentry]

Royal Oak has had this for a year or so. Tempted to slap a Pace Car sticker on the M5

[rage2]

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Royal Oak has had this for a year or so. Tempted to slap a Pace Car sticker on the M5

They failed in Royal Oak because people just drove around them, making it even more sketchy.

The whole school zone to playground zone has completely failed in our area. The only people that drive 30 are old people and they honk at people passing them even at night, which is everyone else on the road.

[revelations]

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quick google street view of riverview cir shows 30kph signs all over that area on streets with little to no street parking and houses on only one side of the street. I do see old people style strata complexes though, so i'm guessing the geriatrics and over protective stay at home moms in the neighbourhood lobbied to have the limits reduced?

Its 50 except in playground areas:

https://goo.gl/maps/Tc1xwtf2pnA2

[Sentry]

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They failed in Royal Oak because people just drove around them, making it even more sketchy.

The whole school zone to playground zone has completely failed in our area. The only people that drive 30 are old people and they honk at people passing them even at night, which is everyone else on the road.

I actually haven't seen a single "pace car" but my place is super close to country hills, I don't drive past the big ass old folks home.