Resident urges drivers to slow down on Olde Victoria Street, Kincardine

To the Editor:

You would think by observing vehicular traffic on the streets of the Municipality of Kincardine that most motorists assume the maximum permissible speed is 50 km/h. Well, they would be WRONG!

The municipality has a bylaw, No. 2009-006 Traffic and Parking Bylaw Part XVIII (1), which states: “Except where otherwise authorized and appropriately signed, the maximum permissible rate of speed on streets within the urban areas of the Municipality of Kincardine and under the control of the Municipality of Kincardine shall be 40 km/h.”

As it turned out, the Kincardine detachment of the South Bruce OPP was not aware of this bylaw and was policing the speed limit at 50 km/h as per the Ontario Highway Traffic Act for municipal streets. The police will be enforcing the speed limit at 40 km/h from now on. 

This brings me to Olde Victoria Street, between Russell and Durham Streets in the Town of Kincardine. Speeding on Olde Victoria Street has been an issue for years. This is not a new issue since COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

Olde Victoria Street is not a provincial highway. The street is considered a bypass to get around Queen Street and the downtown because there is no traffic restriction between Russell and Durham Streets. Olde Victoria Street is narrow and when vehicles are parked on both sides, it becomes a single-lane street. This does not curb the speeding. I have witnessed vehicles going faster than an ambulance on an emergency run with lights flashing. 

My concern is for the safety of pedestrians, pets, and children. Using the OPP model of speed, reaction time, and distracted driving, you have no chance of escaping injury if you accidentally step into the street with traffic at current speeds. 

I am asking motorists to respect the speed limit of 40 km/h on our streets in Kincardine. Please slow down on Olde Victoria Street. Our safety depends on it.

The solution to this unnecessary speeding may be a Stop sign at Lambton Street ... more police presence? The choice is yours. 

Regards
Wayne Williams
Kincardine