Saskatoon councillor says lower bridge speed might as well be ‘speed trap’

Traffic over the new Chief Mistawasis Bridge won’t be going 60 kilometres per hour, but people in Saskatoon will have to wait until next month for council’s final decision on the speed limit.

With one councillor absent from the meeting, Monday’s vote on the speed limit ended in a tie.

A group concerned about the Northeast Swale wants the speed limit set at 50 km/h, but Coun. Zach Jeffries said the bridge and connecting roadways are designed for people to go 70.

“We had never planned for that to be a lower speed,” Jeffries said. “We had not designed it to be a lower speed so to my mind that is kind of the definition of a speed trap.”

With the 60 km/h speed limit defeated this week, council will have to decide between 70 and 50.

That vote will take place at the next regular council meeting, Sept. 24.

The Chief Mistawasis Bridge is set to open to traffic in October.