Mountain View County will be taking speeding concerns to the provincial solicitor general following the recent defeat of a resolution at the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties (AAMDC) zone meeting.
The county had put forward the resolution in hopes of addressing ongoing concerns with speeding on provincial roads and highways.
The resolution called for changes to the Alberta Traffic Safety Act and Regulations including allowing for the immediate seizure of vehicles caught speeding 40 km/h or more over the posted speed limit.
As well the resolution called for drivers to receive a two-year operator's licence suspension when 10 demerits are reached in a two-year period, and that Alberta Justice “review the circumstances and process that allow for the withdrawal of charges under the Traffic Safety Act.”
In the background note accompanying the resolution, the county said, in part, that, “Police reported that 25 per cent of total fatal collisions involved one or more drivers as having been travelling at a speed too great for the given road conditions.
“Alberta has robust legislation relating to speeding from mild to relatively severe. Speed fine penalties were recently increased by 35 per cent. However, excessive speed violations continue to be a problem. It would be reasonable to suggest that those motivated by higher monetary penalties have been reached by the fine increases.”
The resolution was defeated at the recent AAMDC zone meeting.
During the Oct. 26 council meeting, Reeve Bruce Beattie said the county should now take further action to have the speeding concerns addressed.
“There is clearly a great deal of evidence to support our position,” said Beattie. “I spoke to one of the RCMP officers that was at the open house (in Didsbury) and he was certainly in full agreement with the sentiments that we expressed in our resolution.
“It is my intention, with council's support, to take this up with the appropriate minister, which is the solicitor general, to follow up on our proposal. Certainly in discussions with our officers and with the RCMP I've spoken to, it is a concern.”
Coun. Duncan Milne said he has also spoken to RCMP officers about the need to address speeding concerns.
Councillors passed a motion “that council support Reeve Beattie to take our resolution intent on excessive speeding to the appropriate minister.”
The AAMDC represents 69 rural municipalities. It lobbies the provincial government on issues affecting rural residents.
There is clearly a great deal of evidence to support our position."Bruce BeattieMVC reeve
