Slow down when you head out of town on the west side of Stettler on Highway 12.
In the next few months, the Town of Stettler expects the current speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour to be reduced to 70 kilometres per hour inside the town’s new boundaries.
At its regular meeting July 3, town council supported a request to Alberta Transportation to reduce the limit that was also more recently raised by a concerned resident on the service road north of the highway in that area.
“It doesn’t make sense to have the 100 kilometre-hour in the town limits,” said Mayor Dick Richards.
“We have been in talks with Alberta Transportation to reduce the speed limit.”
Town staff hopes the final approval will come in the next months that
“Alberta Transportation is currently waiting for ministerial approval to lower the speed limit from the posted 100 km/hour to 70 on the west side of this service road access to the highway, with a second lowering to 50 km/h about one kilometre west of the intersection of 70 Street and Highway 12,” said Melissa Robbins, the director of operational services for the town.
Council also received a letter from a local resident concerned that motorists often speed down the service road when the traffic light on the highway is red.
Robbins said Stettler RCMP have been informed about this issue and are committed to enforce the “unsafe action.”
Although a resident suggested the town post signs to restrict local traffic, council opposed that step because police enforcement would be more effective.
In other business, council approved a staff recommendation to purchase a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) backup system for the water treatment plant for a cost of $6,232.50, plus the federal goods and services tax.
“If we have a power failure, we will be able to operate on an automated basis,” said CAO Rob Stoutenberg.
The system includes a computer, setup and installation of software, SCADA software update to the newest version, backup of existing external software, testing, training, labour and travel.