Estevan City Council has once again opened up the Pandora's Box of reduced speed limits.

Last year they debated whether speed limits should be reduced to 40 kilometres per hour in residential areas. Coincidentally, the three councillors who initially supported the idea finished sixth, seventh and eighth in last October's civic election.

This year Council is considering a proposed 40 kilometre per hour speed limit on Fourth Street from Souris Avenue to 14th Avenue – the five-block stretch that contains many downtown shops, plus City Hall, the Estevan Court House and several restaurants. Those five blocks of Fourth Street currently share the same 50 kilometre per hour speed limit as most of the city.

In tandem with the proposed speed limit change, landscaped mid-block crossings will be created for the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Fourth Street, in an effort to stimulate more pedestrian traffic in downtown Estevan.

(Thankfully, the current concept for the mid-block crossings is scaled-down from the $80,000 financial albatross that Council discussed earlier this year).

Speed limits draw most of the attention in this debate. But pedestrians also need to be considered.

Will a lower speed limit make downtown Estevan a safer area? Probably not, even though most motorists will drive the speed limit, regardless of whether it's 40 or 50 kilometres per hour.

The problem is that some people believe it's their right to drive 80 kilometres per hour, regardless of whether it's downtown, a residential area or a school zone.

People who drive far too fast (or too slow, for that matter), who run red lights and who fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians are dangerous drivers. Unfortunately, Estevan doesn't have enough police officers to enforce a sustained crackdown on the fraction of motorists who cause so many problems.

If the speed limit is 50, they will drive 80. If it is 40, they will still drive 80. And they won't pay attention to pedestrians.

Reduced speed limits and mid-block crossings won't swell the ranks of the pedestrians, either. Unfortunately, expansive Fourth Street, which is part of a national highway, is not a pedestrian-friendly street. It's wide, and it has a lot of traffic that is just driving through the city.

Compare Estevan's main street with its Weyburn counterpart. Third Street in Weyburn is a narrow, two-lane road that's perfect for walking. Estevan's main street is a multi-lane road that has plenty of room for vehicles to park along the curbs.

Of course, Third Street in Weyburn isn't conducive for motorists, and most people would probably rather have a main street that's geared towards drivers instead of walkers.

A lower speed limit will only serve to slow down some traffic. The remaining stumbling blocks for pedestrians will remain.