ST. PAUL - Speeding continues to be a “significant problem in town,” according to the town’s Director of Protective Services.
At the Sept. 28 regular Town of St. Paul council meeting, Trevor Kotowich’s report was presented. The report noted that some offenders have been clocked travelling 25 to 30 km/hour over the posted 50km/hour speed limit.
According to the August statistics, there were six reported incidents of motorists exceeding the speed limit in town.
Further, there were 19 warnings given along the new skatepark playground zone. Playground signage was installed this summer, with CPOs taking the approach to educate the public on the change in the location, which is along 53rd Avenue.
The signage was brought up during the council meeting, with Coun. Nathan Taylor pointing out that the signs are not correct. When travelling one direction, the signage states the area is a 30km/hour zone 24 hours a day, which isn’t correct. And when travelling the other direction, the signage is a suggested limit.
Director of Public Works Steven Jeffrey said he was aware of the issue and the signs will be fixed so they are the same going both directions. The signage will be for a playground zone, which is 30km/hour starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending one hour after sunset.
There has also been a couple of reported incidents where skateboards roll onto the nearby road from the new skatepark, and youth are seen chasing after the boards. Council requested that administration look into installing a snow fence, or something similar, to hopefully prevent skateboards from rolling onto the road.
In his department report, Kotowich also reported that night shifts have proven to be successful over the last two months. A marked decrease in property vandalism has been noticed.
Bikes
Another issue being seen within the town is bicycles being brought in, which have been found to be abandoned. If the bikes are spray-painted or in rough shape, they are taken to the transfer station for disposal, said Kotowich in his report.
In August, there were nine incidents of abandoned bikes, according to statistics presented in the department report.
St. Paul RCMP recently reported an increase in bike thefts in St. Paul. In a media release sent out on Sept. 24, St. Paul RCMP wanted to bring awareness to the fact that there has been an increase in bicycle thefts noted in the Town of St. Paul and the surrounding area.
RCMP would like to remind owners to lock up their bikes. Also, police encourage people to write down serial numbers and the make and model of a bike, along taking a photo of the bike, in case it is stolen.
