Regina’s Cathedral neighbourhood could see a reduced speed limit

It’s time to hit the brakes in the Cathedral neighbourhood.

The City of Regina is planning to reduce the speed limit to 30 kilometres per hour in the area.

This comes after city council voted 7-3 in favour of establishing a Community Safety Zone in Cathedral.

Karen Nixon, who catches the bus often in the area, said the speed reduction is long overdue.

“I think it would be good for pedestrians because it’s hard to cross the road,” she said.

Nixon often has trouble trying to cross the road safely.

“Nobody will stop for you,” she said. “If you go to the (pedestrian) light, yeah they’ll stop. But if you’re on a different corner they won’t. They ignore you like you have no business being on the street.”

Randy Desjarlais has also had his fair share of close calls.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve almost been hit by a car,” he said. “With the oncoming traffic, drivers are so busy, I’ve almost been hit five or six times.”

Desjarlais said he lost a few friends in the city due to a collision with vehicles. He doesn’t want to see any more loss.

“There are senior citizens that walk down here and they’re not too capable of crossing the street,” he said.

According to the city, in a five-year review period between 2015 and 2019, 26,254 collisions occurred in Regina. These collisions resulted in 3,918 injury collisions (134 of which are major injuries), and 19 fatal collisions.

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The Cathedral neighbourhood was selected to be the first Community Safe Zone because it has a high volume of vulnerable road users and various high-traffic areas like schools, daycares and stores.

Another resident by the name of Garth agreed it was time to make the change.

“I think it sounds like a good idea because the Cathedral area is a different type of vibe than the rest of the city,” he said. “There is more people walking and riding bicycles around here so adjust it to fit the environment.”

Another man named Brian isn’t convinced the speed reduction will change anything. He said everyone speeds.

“I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. I’m standing on neutral grounds,” he said. “I don’t see any change without some people putting their foot down.”

The cost for the implementation of all the city-led safety improvement programs and action items is estimated to be $23.5 million over the five-year period.

The creation of this zone is pending city council approval on April 10.

Before the next meeting, residents are invited to join Coun. Andrew Stevens and city staff at a public information session to learn more about Vision Zero and the Cathedral Community Safety Zone.

The town hall is to be held Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Regina Senior Citizens Centre, 2404 Elphinstone St.