CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The committee responsible for policing is asking for council’s help in slowing people down in Charlottetown.
The protective and emergency services committee is sending a resolution to the floor of council chambers in July to purchase eight speed sentry signs.
Coun. Kevin Ramsay, vice-chairman of the committee, said with council’s support this would enable the city to put a sign in all 10 wards of the city.
Speed sentry signs display the posted speed limit on the street as well as the speed of an oncoming vehicle. The speed flashes if the vehicle is travelling over the posted speed limit.
These signs can be moved around by members of the public works department upon request.
Ramsay said the committee knows all too well that no single approach is going to work but it comes down to getting drivers to buy in.
“I don’t know how much more we can educate the public," Ramsay said, pointing out that the city has also used movable speed bumps in an effort to slow traffic on neighbourhood streets.
The councillor said one of the more frustrating aspects of speed bumps and sentry signs is that people will often react to them and slow down only to speed up again.
Ramsay said these speed sentry signs will also serve to collect data.
For example, if a councillor gets complaints about a specific street, these devices can be placed on the street and if the data backs up the complaints that speed is an issue, police can be dispatched to watch for speeders and issue tickets.
“We are trying everything we can," he said.
"Every ward has complaints when it comes to speeding."
