Safe Speeds & Complete Streets

On October 28, Kitchener City Council approved Kitchener's first Complete Streets guidelines, with a vision that every street in Kitchener is safe, comfortable and convenient for all. The guidelines will be applied to future street reconstruction projects and new development.

You can read the Community Edition of the guidelines for a brief, visually engaging summary of how the guidelines will shape future street design. For further context, view the staff report (starting on page 2-1)

Thank you to the 610 people who got involved and helped to shape the guidelines. Your input is greatly appreciated.

In the first phase of engagement for Complete Streets, a variety of engagement tactics were conducted to reach a broad cross-section of our community and hear from a variety of perspectives. Thank you to the 339 people who were directly involved in shaping Complete Streets.

Based on community feedback conducted by Wilfrid Laurier students, they recommend that the Complete Streets guidelines be made more understandable by simplifying wording and eliminating redundancies or by including comprehensive descriptions, and detailed visual aids. Their recommendations for street design include traffic calming, lower speed limits and adding features such as wider sidewalks, separated bike lanes, trees and greenery, benches, and better lighting.

To learn more, read the brief summary or the full report.

A full draft of the guidelines will be available for your comments later this summer.

Studies show that speeding is a significant contributing factor leading to severe injuries and fatal collisions worldwide. The likelihood of survival in a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian is approximately 15 per cent when the vehicle is traveling at 50 km/h. However, the likelihood of survival increases to 75 per cent when the vehicle is traveling at 40 km/h or below.

Studies show that higher speeds not only increase the risk of severe injuries and fatal collisions, but also increase the risk of a collision happening in the first place. Higher speeds increase the distance required to stop safely by reducing both the braking time and the driver’s reaction time available to prevent a collision from happening. A stopping distance of approximately 85 metres is required for a vehicle travelling at 60 km/h, 63 metres for a vehicle travelling at 50 km/h, and 45 metres for a vehicle travelling at 40 km/h.

You can read this article for more information and take our survey to tell us what you think.

Complete Streets are safe, comfortable and convenient for all modes of transportation, and all ages and abilities. Complete streets also contribute to advancing sustainability, health, and social goals. In short, Complete Streets are for everyone!

A Complete Streets approach uses every street project as an opportunity to improve the design and functionality of a street by enhancing all transportation modes and supporting livable neighbourhoods.

You can learn more about our draft principles and take our survey to tell us what you think.