It was the issue that would not die.
On at least three different occasions, a motion to lower the speed limit in Estevan's residential areas from 50 km/h to 40 k/h had come before city council and on each occasion the motion was voted down.
In 2012 council finally decided to put the question to residents and in very underwhelming fashion, voters said yes to lowering the speed limits. That decision is one of our top stories of the year.
Although it wasn't popular, the yes vote probably shouldn't have come as that big a surprise.
There have been a number of concerns raised about the safety of Estevan's streets over the past couple of years. Not only has the volume of traffic increased with the growth of the city, so too has the speed of that traffic as it seemed the majority of drivers were in a hurry to get nowhere fast.
Speeding drivers were also creating concerns in Estevan's residential areas as reports of unsafe driving had also been on the rise.
So after a handful of defeats, proponents of lowering the speed limit brought the matter back to city council and asked that the citizens of Estevan have their say.
The plebiscite turned out to be far from definitive, with the yes side winning by a mere 26 votes. The slim margin led to some questions about whether or not city council would go with the plebiscite and introduce a motion to lower the speed limit to 40 km/h. They put that question to rest quickly however, passing the motion at their first full meeting after the Oct. 24 election.
Mayor Roy Ludwig said although he wasn't a backer of lowering speed limits, he would go with the will of voters.
"I felt it was an issue of enforcement, but I did say if it passed, I would support it and since it did pass I am supporting it," Ludwig said while adding that the onus was on the Estevan Police Service to enforce the new speed limit since they were among those asking for it.
Councillor Dennis Moore was the only person to vote against the motion, noting that he doesn't think it will change anything in the city.
"At this point I don't think it is going to make a bit of difference. In my particular area, I don't see anybody abusing the speed limit; they use common sense and drive accordingly to what is on the street or how many vehicles are on there," Moore said. "I had made up my mind that I was going no from the beginning and I voted no twice already so tonight I just wanted to hang on to that. I hope they prove me wrong and if they do so be it, I have listened to the people that I deal with so I wanted to stick with it and let's hope nothing happens with regards to injuries."
One of the happiest people with the decision was Police Chief Del Block who agreed that it was an enforcement issue and would be a focus of his department.
"What it does, I'm hoping, is bring the speed down in the residential areas. Obviously it is an enforcement issue which they have addressed in council and that is correct, it is an enforcement issue."
Although a motion was passed, the formal bylaw making the new speed limit the law has yet to pass. That is expected early in 2013.
