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Group's speed-limit sign removed from Pembina Highway

By: Jordan Thompson

Posted: 01/9/2012 12:03 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies) | Last Modified: 01/9/2012 8:48 PM | Updates

WiseUpWinnipeg says says drivers have been complaining for years about the stretch of road.

City of Winnipeg workers used a tractor to pull down a sign Monday that was the latest public relations weapon in a group’s ongoing battle against city police "speed traps."

WiseUpWinnipeg erected a reflective sign on the side of Highway 75 south of Winnipeg, in response to what they describe as numerous complaints from angry motorists. It warned drivers the speed limit is "60 km/h," and also complained, "Too slow & poorly posted" and "Unfair trap often ahead."

City police were aware of the sign shortly after the group erected it and immediately considered its legality.

"The Winnipeg Police Service is currently aware of the sign and we’re assessing its location and actions regarding it, and public works is also in consultation with the WPS on this matter," Const. Chris Wingfield, spokesman for the Winnipeg Police Service, said Monday afternoon.

Wingfield referred to a section of the provincial Highway Traffic Act that says a person can’t "erect or maintain, upon or in view of a highway, a device that purports to be, resembles, or interferes with the effectiveness of a traffic control device unless he is authorized to do so by a traffic authority."

The law also says if the sign is put up without permission authorities can take it down. In the early evening, a public works crew from the city did exactly that.

The photo-radar watchdog group said drivers have complained for years that the stretch of Pembina Highway (Highway 75) located south of the St. Norbert Bridge is lacking proper speed-limit signage. The speed limit on this stretch is enforced by police for six hours almost daily, the organization said.

"International signing practices stipulate dual speed-limit signs (median and shoulder) for multi-lane divided roadways such as this," WiseUpWinnipeg founder Todd Dube said in a news release.

"At this particular stretch, the city has only one sign, which is posted more than three times the distance off the road versus the maximum (two metres) outlined in the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) — Canada, which the city ironically claims to adhere to. The critical importance of signage distance off the road is to optimize driver recognition and ensure visibility by headlight beams in the dark."

The organization said it receives more complaints about the Highway 75 stretch south of the city than any other location in Winnipeg.

WiseUpWinnipeg is calling on the city to rezone the stretch of road to 70 km/h and adequately post the speed limit for drivers.

Last Saturday, about 30 WiseUpWinnipeg supporters converged near the intersection of Grant Avenue and Nathaniel Street to protest a photo-radar unit they claim is inaccurately measuring speeds of vehicles.

History

Updated on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 4:06 PM CST: Adds police comment.

4:19 PM: Corrects type of enforcement WiseUpWinnipeg believes is done at the stretch.

8:48 PM: Updates with sign taken down

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