Officials with the City of Edmonton have released a report set to go before a city committee next week that suggests the speed limit on the roadway remain unchanged.
The report, comes in response to a motion from the Transportation Services Committee in mid-May, for an evaluation of speeds along the entire length of Whitemud Freeway, and whether changing the speed limit would be a viable option.
Officials reviewed data collected on the speeds motorists travel at between 34 Street and 178 Street during off-peak hours.
Those statistics indicated about 85 percent of drivers travel at most 10 kilometres an hour over the speed limit, or 90 kilometres an hour.
The report finally states that if the speed along the roadway was to be increased, it would encourage drivers to travel even faster – and reach speeds the roadway could not accommodate due it its design.
It’s an issue the mayor said should be taken into consideration for future roadway designs.
“Let’s try and design roads and set speed limits to be reflective of what people are doing, rather than what we would like to see them do,” Mayor Stephen Mandel said.
The design guidelines used in the review covered a number of characteristics, including the vertical and horizontal alignment of the roadway, width of lanes, and spacing between interchanges.
Officials said those characteristics play a role in determining the most appropriate speed limit for any roadway.
In the case of Whitemud Drive, certain characteristics of the freeway mean the current speed limit of 80 kilometres an hour should stay the same – officials point to sharp curves north of Quesnell Bridge, and south of 53 Avenue, the exit onto Terwillegar Drive, that’s on the left, close proximity of interchanges between 91 and 111 Streets, limited sight between underpasses and certain curves.
With files from Veronica Jubinville
