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After years of local campaigning, Highway 97's speed limit is being reduced from 100 km/h to 90 km/h.
This change will be in effect at the end of June and comes after members of the public and local government representatives have advocated for its reduction for years. One of these advocates is Jim Smith, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) director for Area E, which covers 70 Mile, who said that while the reduction isn't to the 80 km/hr he'd wanted, he still welcomes the change.
"My reaction is positive. As I said, it's not the 80 kilometres that we were going for, but it's still a reduction. It still warns drivers that they're entering a community. So I'm fine with it," Smith said, adding that the Clinton RCMP is also happy with the reduction as they feel the new speed limit will be more enforceable.
"They can monitor more closely, and they can conduct themselves accordingly," Smith added.
He added that amongst the residents of 70 Mile House, around 90 per cent of them are happy with the reduction.
"There are a couple of people who are disappointed that it didn't go to the 80, but the general consensus is that any reduction is better than none at all," Smith explained.
For most of its existence, the speed limit along Highway 97 through 70 Mile House has remained at 100 km/hr. While there is a sign that recommends people slow down to 70 km/h in the area due to pedestrians, it is not a legal requirement.
The Ministry of Transportation and Transit, in an email to the simplymastery, confirmed that the speed reduction will come into effect at the end of this month.
"While a 100 km/h speed limit is appropriate for this section of highway, confirmed by several traffic engineering reviews, design and safety data, the reduction to 90 km/h will help address the safety concerns of the TNRD," wrote the ministry.
There has long been a push to reduce the speed limit of Highway 97 going through 70 Mile House due to safety concerns. In 2014, a petition by the 70 Mile House Safety and Speed Reduction Committee received 576 signatures from people asking for a 70 km/h speed limit through the community. Residents at the time expressed concern that the limit was too fast, especially in the winter when braking distances are much longer. The petition was presented to the Ministry of Transportation by Sally Watson, who was the previous TNRD director before Smith.
In February of this year, Smith said he requested the Ministry of Transportation look into reducing the speed limit again, this time asking for the speed limit to be reduced to 80 km/h. Sandra Griffiths, the district manager for the Ministry of Transportation, told him at the time that the speed limit was safe and would remain in place.
Smith said that there are 32 driveways, seven businesses, a main intersection, and all sorts of exits and entrances on the highway that 70 Mile residents were concerned about - and that the community has had its share of close calls.
Smith said he put together a comprehensive package from interviews with the residents of 70 Mile, as well as the 100 Mile Fire Rescue, the Clinton RCMP, the Green Lake Rate Payers' Association, MLA Lorne Doerkson, as well as the TNRD.
"I just put the case out there and asked for support from all of those agencies and I received support from all of them," Smith said.
The package consisted of 14 letters of support from fire departments, the Clinton RCMP, the Green Lake Ratepayers' Association, the TNRD, as well as testimonials from residents who had been in close-call situations which could have led to a fatality. He followed it up with several in-person meetings, as well as delivering the package to Mike Farnsworth, the B.C. Minister of Transportation.
He was then advised that the ministry had accepted his proposal and that they would lower the speed limit to 90km/h.
The ministry stated in the e-mail to the simplymastery that setting speed limits too low could have adverse effects, adding that when drivers perceive a posted speed as unreasonably low for the road conditions, they may disregard it and instead drive at a speed they think is suitable for the surrounding conditions.
"This can lead to significant speed differences between drivers. Such disparities increase the likelihood of aggressive driving behaviours such as unsafe passing and tailgating. They can also make it more difficult for vehicles to safely enter or exit driveways and intersections along the highway," the ministry wrote.
Smith said he will wait to see how the speed reduction affects 70 Mile House, adding that a speed monitoring program with digital signs could be put in place.
"I will always be in contact with the Clinton RCMP, because they have told me that they will share information with me as to how it's going as far as enforcement goes," Smith said.
He intends to advocate next for better signage for intersections the local fire department uses, and has not ruled out advocating for another speed reduction through the area if it's required.
With files from Ken Alexander and Patrick Davies.
