WINNIPEG — Manitoba Trucking Association GM Bob Dolyniuk was joined by environmentalists and private citizens in asking the province to back down on its plan to increase speed limits on certain highways to 110 km/h.

Speaking to a five-member panel of the Highway Traffic Board, Dolyniuk raised safety concerns with the proposal, saying increased speed will result in a hike of vehicle collisions and “increased severity when they do occur,” the Winnipeg Free Press reports.

The proposal — which would raise the limit from 100 km/h to 110 km/h on certain sections of Hwy 1 west of Winnipeg and much of Hwy 75 south of the city — contradicts an ongoing campaign by the MTA and its umbrella organization, the Canadian Trucking Alliance, which want speed limiters set at 105 km/h mandated for all trucks in the country.

Dolyniuk said proposals to add safety features like paved shoulders on highways and rumble strips aren’t enough to offset what he says would be an uptick in crashes.

In an emotional plea, Liz Simpson also urged the Board to recommend canceling the proposal, the newspaper reports. Twenty-five years ago, the Winnipeg resident suffered severe head injuries after her car veered off the road. The accident was blamed on a combination of excessive speed and black ice.

“I’ve had to live with the consequences of that near-fatal accident for 25 years now,” said Simpson.

The board’s report on the public hearings will be presented to the provincial cabinet by spring 2008. The recommendations are not binding, however.

— from the Winnipeg Free Press