THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF PORT COQUITLAM Uj N C i

MEMORANDUM NOV 1 1976

TO: R.A. Freeman, " October 29th, 1976
City Clerk.

FROM: V.G. Borch, P. Eng.

Re: Fraser Avenue Schocl Zone

Reference: is made to your memorandum dated October
8th, 1976 at which time you outlined the Council resolutions
from the meeting of October 4th, 1976 and the fact that Ald-
erman Laking gave notice of motion regarding the removal of
all school zone speed designations within the City. It was
generally agreed that the same would be considered by the
Council in one months time and accordingly you advised that
you would be placing the subject on the November ist, 1976
Council Agenda.

Following receipt of your memorandum I wrote to School
District No. 43 and to the R.C.M.P. requesting their comments
on Aiderman Laking's notice of motion. I am attaching Mr.
Mutter's letter dated.October 26th, 1976 and Corporal Melanson's
letter dated.October 21st, 1976 for information.

The undersigned has reviewed this matter and would like
to comment as follows:

1. The effectiveness of speed regulations may be
measured by the attitude of the driver toward the speed limits.
A speed regulation should be almost self-enforcing and therefore
the voluntary compliance with the posted limits should be at a
high level. The amount of enforcement that is required to
obtain a certain level of voluntary compliance may be considered
an expression of the driver's acceptance of the speed limit as
a reasonable and safe limit. In this regard I agree with Mr.
Mutter's statement that the effectiveness of a 20 mile per hour
school zone: is directly related to enforcement. Also studies
have shown that the mere physical changing of the numbers on
speed limit signs does-not materially change a prevailing speed
limit pattern based on a normal driver operation within a zone.

2. In the absence of serious accidents taking place in
our school zones and in the general absence of specific hazardous
situations it is difficult if not impossible to state based on
traffic engineering literature and experience that the 20 mile
per hour zone is safer than the 30 mile per hour zone. In fact
figures can be shown which indicate higher accident rates in
20 mile per hour zones than in 30 mile per hour zones.

Jasees