Back to SearchThe Highland Road new street design is Kitchener’s most ‘complete street’ to date, because it has something for everyone. Whether residents are walking, rolling, cycling, taking transit or driving, they will have a safe experience through progressive street design features.
One of the first in the province, Highland Road introduces a new street design feature called continuous sidewalks. Continuous sidewalks communicate to people walking and rolling that they have an uninterrupted travel path while also communicating to people driving that they are to yield to people walking and rolling. The treatment reinforces that pedestrians have the legal right-of-way by keeping the sidewalk continuous and at pedestrian height. This is the reverse of a conventional local street intersection, where the sidewalk ends, and pedestrians must cross the paved roadway between two white crosswalk lines. This new design is described as an emerging practice in Canada by the Transportation Association of Canada, with benefits for pedestrian safety, comfort, and accessibility.
In addition to the continuous sidewalks, three new pedestrian refuge islands were added to provide a pedestrian crossing every 150 m, making it much easier to cross the street to access public transit. At the signalized intersection at Spadina Rd. E., the right turn channels were removed, to slow turning speeds and make more direct pedestrian crossings.
“I’m pleased to see a road reconstruction project so directly benefiting neighbourhood residents,” said Ward 9 Councillor Debbie Chapman. “The reconstruction of Highland Road is a great example of how we can address our transportation goals while improving residents’ experience on our roadways.”
The most immediately recognizable change on Highland Rd is the addition of fully separated cycle tracks. Cycling facilities didn’t exist previously; today people can cycle safely and comfortably on cycle tracks next to the sidewalk.
Finally, the strategic relocation of on-street parking opened up boulevard space for new tree plantings, previously absent in the boulevards due to an overly wide asphalt width.
“The project on Highland Rd is a great example of our new approach to road reconstruction, our commitment to traffic safety, and our adoption of world-class design standards,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “Our ‘complete streets’ guidelines are an important framework that ensures that the streets we are building, and the existing streets that we’re reconstructing both represent the highest standard, ensuring that everyone in our community can get to where they’re going safely.”
The remainder of the Highland Road reconstruction has resumed, completing the section between Delaware and Stirling streets. Continuous sidewalks are an important design element that will be represented in many of Kitchener’s future road projects as they are rebuilt using complete streets guidelines. Complete streets are an important part of how the City of Kitchener will achieve its Vision Zero goal of eliminating serious injuries or deaths due to traffic collisions.
For more information, contact:
Shawn Falcao
Manager, Corporate Communications
City of Kitchener
shawn.falcao@kitchener.ca
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