AMA, police remind motorists to slow down in construction zones

LETHBRIDGE — Construction is just a part of summers in southern Alberta as crews work to fix damage caused by the previous year's winter.

But this kind of work poses an increased risk for construction crews, often putting them near passing cars.

"Driving through some of those construction zones, it might not be front and centre when there's no workers present. It might be on the weekend, things are a little bit quieter. There are some motorists out there that feel it's OK to go the speed limit through those areas," said Ryan Lemont, manager of driver education for the Alberta Motor Association.

With so many construction zones across the province, police are cracking down on speeders.

On the weekend, the Milk River RCMP gave out 45 speeding tickets to drivers passing by a three-kilometre stretch of construction near Coutts, with one truck clocked going 88 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.

While similar numbers have yet to be seen in Lethbridge so far this spring, speeding in construction zones is still a concern for police.

"This time of year is when they start to work on all the roads around the city. I think this last winter was particularly rough on the road, potholes everywhere, so there's going to be construction zones everywhere. People just need to be aware that most of the time, there are workers present," said Const. Brent Paxman with the LPS traffic response unit.

The city will put up signage to remind drivers to slow down in construction zones.

But workers can call police to set up at their construction zone if they notice drivers are consistently speeding.

Fines in construction zones are doubled.

The AMA is reminding all motorists to slow down and beware of their surroundings around construction zones.

A bit of caution could help save someone's life.

"We've got people working around those areas we want to keep them safe. We don't want to add any additional hazards to that. So we want to slow down, follow the posted speed limit," Lemont said.