Back to SearchKitchener – A pilot project testing the effect of a 40km/h speed limit in residential neighbourhoods officially launched today in Huron Park. Ward 5 Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock was joined by members of the City of Kitchener’s Transportation team to begin the installation of traffic signs, starting the year-long “Safer, Slower Speeds”pilot that will test the impact of a lower limit in three Kitchener neighbourhoods.
“I hear concerns about speeding from my constituents all the time,” said Councillor Galloway-Sealock. “It’s one of the most common pieces of feedback I hear. Piloting lower speed limits throughout entire neighbourhoods will give us a better understanding of the implications of this policy as we consider where it could make sense elsewhere.”
After speeding was identified as a top concern among residents, the City conducted a study of all collisions in Kitchener over the past five years. Although 95 per cent of collisions were between vehicles, collisions between a vehicle and a pedestrian or cyclist were the cause of 70 per cent of collision-related serious and fatal injuries. In a collision between a vehicle travelling at 50 km/h and a pedestrian, the likelihood of survival of the pedestrian is only 15 per cent. This survival rate increases to 75 per cent if the vehicle speed is reduced to 40 km/h.
“The public safety benefits of lower speeds are very well documented,” said Aaron McCrimmon-Jones, Manager of Transportation Planning at the City of Kitchener. “The question is how to achieve lower average speeds in the areas where collisions between vehicles and pedestrians or cyclists are most common. That’s why we landed on the approach of testing lower limits in residential neighbourhoods.”
City staff identified three neighbourhoods to test the new limits, selected because they are residential areas with minimal through traffic, containing no high-profile destinations that could draw significant vehicle traffic. Staff also considered where speeding complaints were concentrated. The three neighbourhoods are:
- Zone One is bounded by Fischer Hallman Road, Huron Natural Area and Huron Road.
- Zone Two is bounded by Homer Watson Boulevard, Conestoga College Boulevard, New Dundee Road, Reidel Road, Caryndale Drive, Stauffer Drive, Tilts Bush and Schneider Greenway.
- Zone Three is bounded by River Road East, Ottawa Street North, Lackner Boulevard and Fairway Road North.
Signs indicating the new 40km/h limit are being erected at the entrances to each neighbourhood, an approach known as “gateway” signage. The installation of these signs is expected to be complete in early December. Two of the pilot neighbourhods contain existing 40km/h school zones. They will be reduced to 30km/h for the duration of the pilot.
City staff will measure traffic speeds, collision data and solicit feedback from the three neighbourhoods over the course of a year and report their findings to council in late 2020.
More information about the pilot can be found at kitchener.ca/speedlimit.
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For more information, please contact:
Phil Price
Communications and Marketing Associate
City of Kitchener
519.741.2200 x7383
philip.price@kitchener.ca
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