A strong majority of municipalities would like to strip the Highway Traffic Board of its authority when it comes to local speed limits.

The resolution, presented by Winkler Mayor Martin Harder and backed by Winnipeg Councillor Matt Allard, was passed with 80 percent approval on Wednesday at the AMM conference.

"We're very grateful AMM has a direction to be able to lobby the province in order to limit the amount of involvement the traffic board would have," Harder says.

He adds they'd like to see the traffic board's involvement on speed reductions limited to commenting only.

Winkler city council fought the province's Highway Traffic Board for months before they agreed to lower the speed on 15th St. from 70 km/h to 50 km/h.

The new speeds have been posted on the Manitoba Law's website November 6 and can now be enforced under the Highway Traffic Act.

The city's request to lower speeds in a pair of high-density developments has been firmly denied by the provincial board. However, Harder hopes the city might still see speeds lowered if the Highway Traffic Board's jurisdiction is altered.

"Maybe it will come back again after all," he says.

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