City Council is making an effort to deal with street racing concerns in Steinbach.

At Tuesday's open council meeting, three letters were presented from residents who have expressed concerns about street racing along Main Street throughout the summer. Mayor Earl Funk says these three letters are a very small sample of what the city has received.

"I have been, on some weeks, bombarded with emails and phone calls and visits to my store about the racing issue."

Not only are residents concerned about safety issues along Main Street, but there have been many noise complaints as well with some residents saying they are kept up as late as 2 or 3 A.M.

Councillor Michael Zwaagstra says street racing on Main Street is something that Steinbach has always dealt with, however, the complaints and the calls for action have all increased dramatically.

As a member of the Steinbach RCMP Advisory Committee, Zwaagstra presented council with the following motion Tuesday evening.

"Be it resolved that the City of Steinbach requests an additional RCMP officer beginning January 1, 2022, and that this officer be dedicated exclusively to traffic enforcement.

Be it further resolved that the City of Steinbach ask the province for the authority to install red-light cameras on Main Street"

Zwaagstra notes this is a multi-pronged approach that shows the city is serious about getting a handle on this growing issue. He says he believes residents would be willing to put up with red-light cameras if it means a safer, quieter Main Street.

"I think that people in Steinbach are so fed up with the racing along Main Street, I think most people are going to be open to the possibility. I know that red-light cameras are not popular and as I said during the meeting, I am not a fan of them personally, but I am even less of a fan of street racing. Any measures that we can take to reduce the traffic problems on Main Street, I think are worth exploring."

In addition, Zwaagstra says if the city were to install red-light cameras, they would also monitor speed. He reiterates this is only a request for the authority to install these cameras.

"This is not something that we can just go do. We can only do this if the province gives permission and there is no guarantee of that. We are not going to know if we have the option unless we ask and I think it makes sense for us to ask the questions."

Because this plan also includes a dedicated traffic enforcement officer, Zwaagstra says if the street racing simply moves to another part of town, the enforcement can follow.

Zwaagstra notes Staff Sergeant Harold Laninga and his team are doing a great job in Steinbach but they simply don’t currently have the manpower to tackle this issue. He notes the staff sergeant is very much on board with this plan.