Residential speeds in Leduc reduced to increase community safety

Effective Aug. 28, the speed limit on all residential streets in the City of Leduc will be reduced from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. Additionally, all Leduc school zone speed limits will be 30 km/h, Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

"Reducing the speed limit on our residential streets will slow speeders down and make our neighbourhoods safer and quieter for everyone,” says City of Leduc Mayor Bob Young. “And, by extending the timeframe that school zone speed limits are in effect, we will help keep students, parents and teachers safe as they come and go from school each day.” 

The changes, approved during a City Council meeting on June 26, follow a pilot project in the City’s Southfork neighbourhood that explored how reducing the speed limit would impact safety on residential roadways for drivers and pedestrians alike. The results of the pilot project showed that average speeds were essentially unchanged, as expected, but the 85th percentile speeds were reduced from 55–58 km/h to 44–49 km/h. 

“The Southfork pilot shows that this will have a direct impact on community safety,” says Shawn Olson, Director of Engineering at the City of Leduc. “Lower speeds will help prevent collisions and reduce the severity of injuries if they do happen.” 

A Safe Speed Toolkit is also available for community members. 

Other municipalities in Alberta have implemented similar programs in recent years, including Edmonton, Calgary and St. Albert.