Lower speed limits coming to downtown Whitehorse as of Aug. 23

It's official the city of Whitehorse is posting new, lower speed limits downtown starting later this month.

As of Monday, Aug. 23, the speed limit on all downtown streets will be 40 km/h.

The changefollowsa report commissioned by the citylast year that lookedattraffic safety and speed in downtown Whitehorse. City staff then recommended changes to the speed limit, and council voted in favour.

Right now, some streets including the major arteries of Second and Fourth Avenues have posted limits of 50 km/h.

Speed limits in school and playground zones, currentlyset at 30 km/h, willnot change.

"The cityhas recognized the concerns about road safety in the city, but particularly in the downtown," said city engineer Stefan Baer.

Baer says many cities across North America have been making similar changes. It's about recognizing that slower traffic is safer for everybody, he says.

"It recognizes that the downtown is a place where we have many different types of people, types of modes of transportation, convergingand safe speeds are important to be able to mitigate and manage that risk."

The city will be updating signs in the coming weeks "at entrances to the downtown area and along major routes," according to a news release.