Motorists on Highway 16 won't need to slow down more than Neepawa than in the past. That's because the Council's application to extend the 80 kilometre per hour reduced speed zone an extra 2.3 kilometres west of town has been turned down. Mayor Adrian de Groot says while the previous council were the ones who applied for the extended zone, they're still disappointed with the Highway Traffic Board's decision.

"The did a traffic study and some site visits to see the density of businesses, homes and things like that on the stretch of road. According to their standards they felt it didn't warrant the road going to 80 kilometres per hour."

De Groot says they would have liked to see the reduce speed put in place, as the current stretch that's 80 kilometres per hour is far too short, and often ignored by motorists. He also notes two residential streets come off that zone, making it important motorists are slowing down.

De Groot says while the province has made their decision, it's likely not the last time the issue will come up. He says they'll look to collect their own data, and likely submit another proposal in the future.

"I'm sure we'll make another presentation once we take a look at it. With the Citizens On Patrol Program, they quite often do traffic counts and speed, because they have a speed gun. We're going to focus on that and collect our own data too."

The written response from the Highway Traffic Board indicates the average speed of motorists in the area is 104 kilometres per hour. They feel that means motorists are comfortable with  the current speed zone, and reducing the speed for an extended area isn't necessary. They also warn reducing the speed could create a false sense of security.