Speed limit in Regina's busy Cathedral neighbourhood dropping to 40 km/h on Monday

Starting next week, Regina drivers will have to slow down when driving through the city's busy Cathedral neighbourhood.

The City of Regina has designated the core neighbourhood as its first community safety zone. That means the speed limit in the area is dropping to 40 km/h from 50.

The reduction significantly decreases the likelihood of death in a crash involving a cyclist or pedestrian to 30 per cent from 85 per cent, according to a City of Regina news release.

"The research is that speed kills,'' Chris Warren, the City of Regina's director of roadways and transportation, said on Tuesday.

"There is definitely an ability to enhance safety in terms of reducing the speed, increasing the drivers' reaction times to having to brake, increasing their cone of visibility so they can see a wider spread in front of them when it comes to pedestrians and other road hazards.''

The decision was spurred by two pedestrians dying in separate traffic incidents along 13th Avenue in 2023.

"The mix of schools, daycares, businesses, churches and housing within that neighbourhood creates multiple conflict points," Warren said.

"There is a lot of pedestrian activity, a lot of vehicular movement, a lot of opportunity for conflict, so we thought that this would be a good candidate to install some new measures to increase the road safety in this area.''

New signs are being put up at all entrances and exits of the Cathedral Community Safety Zone to inform residents about the reduced speed limit. The goal is to have them all up by Saturday. 

The Regina Police Service will begin enforcing the new speed limit on Monday, but Insp. Shawn Fenwick said there will be an education period where officers give out warnings.

"I'd say this a big change from what we're used to. The public and our citizens in Regina need to understand the behaviour change that's expected,'' Fenwick said.

There were discussions about reducing the speed limit in Cathedral to 30 km/h, but city council decided 40 would be adequate. School zones will remain at 30 km/h across the city, including within the Cathedral area.

"I think they agreed that was a balance between enhancing the safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and through this neighbourhood, as well as balancing commuting times and the needs of the surrounding community,"  Warren said.

Jonathan Lorenc, the chair of the Cathedral Village Community Association, welcomed the reduced speed limit and said he expects residents to be OK with the change.

"I feel that if it were just the posted speed limits, it would be a little bit more of a mixed opinion. But I think with the additional measures that were taken by the city, especially along 13th Avenue, kind of more on the infrastructure side of it, I do see compliance being a little bit higher," Lorenc said.

"Talking to some residents that either live or have businesses around 13th Avenue, they've already noticed a change in speed even without the posted speed limit and they're happy with the work that the city has done so far.''

The Cathedral Community Safety Zone is part of Vision Zero, a city action plan with a goal of eliminating all traffic deaths and serious injuries.