DAN CEARNS, The Standard
SCUGOG: The Township of Scugog’s staff members continue to work to change speed limit signs as part of a Township wide initiative.
Scugog’s Mayor Bobbie Drew had provided information on the initiative during a Scugog Chamber luncheon event in March.
“The new policy reduces speed limits on all of our rural roads from 80 km per hour to 60. Collector roads in urban areas will remain at 50. Local roads in Port Perry and [the] hamlets will be 40. All signs will be in place by July of this year,” the mayor said at the time.
At a meeting on Tuesday, July 19th, Scugog’s Director of Public Works and Infrastructure Services, Carol Coleman, provided an update on the project.
“There were some delays this spring in getting materials, but the work is now well underway. We’re probably about 50 percent complete in the sign installations. There are about 650 signs [which] are going up across the Township. [It] should be completed by the middle of August. These are the new speed limits being established to improve safety for all road users, [such as] vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.”
However, Ms. Coleman stated this isn’t the only way the Township is working to make roads safer for everyone.
“Some of the other things we are working on is working with [ the Durham Regional Police Service] to provide enforcement based on traffic data, using mobile speed display signs to slow traffic, [and] providing free lawn signs asking drivers to please slow down. Those are available right now at the municipal office. You can come by during office hours to pick them up. We established community safety zones around schools. We are identifying roads most suitable for traffic calming measures, and we’re installing pedestrian crossovers,” she said.