As of Tuesday, July 21 the speed limit on Rossland's municipal roads is 30 k.m. per hour.
The change in speed limit was originally anticipated for mid-August, but the decals arrived early.
“We were going to do it as soon as we got the signs, but the decals for the signs—we're just changing the 4 to the 3 to make it 30 instead of 40—...they came in quickly, so public works was out there putting them on all the signs yesterday,” Mayor Kathy Moore said Wednesday afternoon.
Speed limits in school zones have also been lowered to 15 k.m. per hour in pickup areas and 20 k.m. per hour elsewhere.
Two specific areas of Rossland—the west end of McLeod and the Nickelplate neighbourhood—have also had their speed limits lowered to 20 k.m. per hour, because the streets are so narrow.
Rosslanders can expect to see RCMP officers patrolling the city.
Corporal Darryl Orr of the Trail and Greater District Detachment says they'll be enforcing the new speed limit, as well as watching for unbuckled seat belts, and distracted drivers. There may be some leniency for those who haven't realized the speed limit's been dropped, but that call will be at the discretion of the officer, and will be based on the speed of the vehicle.
Orr warns drivers that the new speed limit is in their best interest, and that speed is almost always a factor in collisions.
“The best advice I can give anyone driving a motor vehicle is to slow down,” he says. “You have so much more time to react.”