Speed limit changes are being proposed for two Concession Roads in Essex.
Mayor Sherry Bondy says council will discuss a staff report Tuesday night that recommends increasing the speed limit on the 3rd Concession and the 4th Concession.
Based on the report, town staff is recommending a speed limit increase from 60 km/h to 80 km/h on the 3rd Concession from County Road 11 (Queen Street) to 100 meters west of Drummond Road and an increase from 60 km/h to 80 km/h on the 4th Concession from County Road 11 to County Road 23.
Bondy says administration brought forward a report to council last fall recommending the speed limits be looked at.
She says several years ago, the council of the day changed the speed limit on the 4th Concession down to 60 km/h from 80 km/h.
"It's had a ripple effect on other Concession Roads pushing traffic to the 3rd and now the traffic has way more traffic counts and way more of a perception of speeding," she says.
Bondy says there has been a lot of pressure recently to raise the speed limit on the Concession Roads.
She says concession roads are different than urban roads.
"They are made to move traffic and move traffic quickly but I do believe that members of council do have a lot of concern that we haven't got a lot of public feedback yet," she says. "So maybe it's one of those things where we do engage the community, we do talk to residents who live on the road and say hey, is this really what we want to see."
Bondy feels the town does not want to keep changing the speed limit back and forth.
"There was another idea to put them both at 70 km/h but the 3rd and the 4th at 70," says Bondy. "We always know that people go faster than the posted speed limit as well and traffic enforcement isn't always there. So whenever you raise a speed limit there's always concerns."
She believes there's no rush to make a decision tonight.
Bondy says council can approve the recommendations, receive the report or defer it to a future council meeting.
She says council can also ask for more information and more public consultation.