St. Paul – A dark intersection and concerns about vehicles entering Floatingstone Subdivision too fast have prompted the County of St. Paul to act on two resident requests.

Council approved a new streetlight at Floatingstone during its Sept. 22 meeting and also directed administration to prepare a bylaw amendment that would reduce the speed limit on the roads approaching the subdivision to 50 km/h.

A Floatingstone resident made the requests, and council considered them separately.

Streetlight approved

The request initially began with the streetlight.

Administration told council it had followed the County’s required process, including polling neighbouring property owners and obtaining written confirmation that they had no concerns about the proposed light.

A site assessment also found relatively few streetlights throughout the subdivision — something administration flagged because approving another could lead to similar requests in the future.

Council heard the proposed location is at an intersection near the dumpsters and stop signs where residents are currently walking in the dark.

“That’s right at the intersection,” council confirmed during the discussion.

Council ultimately approved installing the streetlight.

Speed on road into subdivision raises concerns

The resident also asked the County to reduce the speed limit on the road leading into the subdivision.

That’s where things became a little more complicated.

Under the County’s existing Traffic Bylaw, roads within residential subdivisions are already limited to 30 km/h. However, a rural road without posted speed-limit signs is presumed to have an 80 km/h limit.

Council’s discussion focused on the range road approaching and entering the Floatingstone area, where members heard vehicles enter the subdivision at considerably higher speeds.

“That’s where they come flying in,” council heard.

Rather than immediately approving the requested lower limit, council spent considerable time identifying which road was involved, where the subdivision begins, and what speed would make sense on the approach.

The discussion eventually landed on 50 km/h.

Council was also told it couldn’t simply change the speed by putting up a new sign. The County must include the applicable section in its Traffic Bylaw before the new limit becomes enforceable.

Councillor Shane Smith moved to direct administration to prepare the necessary bylaw amendment.

Administration then asked council to clarify how far the proposed 50 km/h zone should extend.

Council directed staff to address approaches from both directions into the Floatingstone area.

The motion carried.

That means the streetlight has been approved, while the proposed 50 km/h speed change still has another step to go: the amended bylaw will have to return to Council before the new limit can take effect.