Speed management: safe streets for all

Council approved a speed limit management plan that will see speed limits in Wards 1-6 reduced for local roads, collector roads and school zones by establishing a speed limit of 30 km/h in all school zones, 40 km/h on minor collector (eg. Thorndale Drive) roads, 50 km/h on major collector (eg. Davenport Road) roads and 40 km/h on local roads. In addition, staff were directed to implement a ward specific Ward 7 speed limit plan of 30 km/h in all school zones and local roads, 40 km/h on minor collector roads, 50 km/h on major collector roads.

Implementation will begin in the spring of this year and staff will report back on progress on an annual basis. Updated maps and the full implementation schedule will be shared on this project page as they become available.

On February 27, 2023, staff will present a report on Speed Management on Residential Streets – Proposed 30 km/h Speed Limit Implementation Plan (report begins on page 89) to Council. This new report follows the revised approved motion from Council on June 13, 2022:

That staff are directed to implement Option B (30 km/hr) on all class 4 (collector) and 5 (local) residential streets as outlined in report IPPW2022-017 (page 64), subject to a revised implementation plan, to be approved by Council at later date, that is context sensitive to individual streets that may require 40 km/hr signage.

Staff reviewed the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) as well as Transportation Association of Canada guidelines to help identify roadways that should remain with a posted speed limit of 40 km/h or 50 km/h based on context. The experience of various other Canadian cities that have implemented reduced speed limits was also considered.

Based on this work, staff have assessed four options to address Council’s June 13, 2022 motion:

Further details on the differences between the options and implementation are available In the report. Staff recommend that Option 2b be approved by Council.

Staff further recommend that Option 2b be completed in four phases, beginning in the spring of 2023 and completed in the fall of 2026. The four phases are suggested to be:

Phase 1, Spring 2023
School areas
Progress report: February 2024

Phase 2, Spring 2024
Wards 2 and 7 (including Kitchener border streets)
Progress report: February 2025

Phase 3, Spring 2025
Wards 4, 5 and 6
Progress report: February 2026

Phase 4, Spring 2026
Wards 3 and 1, plus adjustments to school zones as required

Timelines are subject to change and will be based on staff resources and other operational priorities.

For more information, see the full report IPPW2023-001 in the Council packet for February 27, 2023 (report is on page 89 of the packet). The Council meeting can be watched live on the City's YouTube channel. The portion of the meeting containing this report will reconvene about 6:30 p.m. (see Agenda for details).

Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback on this project. On June 13, 2022, Council approved report IPPW2022-017 (report begins on page 64), with an amendment to Recommendation 2:

2. That staff are directed to implement Option B (30km/hr) on all class 4 (collector) and 5 (local) residential streets as outlined in the report, subject to a revised implementation plan, to be approved by Council at later date, that is context sensitive to individual streets that may require 40km/hr signage.

The presentation by staff and a delegate and discussion by Council can be found on the city's YouTube channel (beginning at 28:45).

Corresponding by-law amendment reports will be presented to Council and the speed limit reductions will be phased in over four years, from 2022 to 2025. The context for determining whether individual streets require 40km/hr signage will be determined as a next step

The City is requesting your feedback on two speed limit options. Both of these options reduce speeds on class 4 and 5 (local and minor collector) residential roads and school zones. To understand exactly which roads are Class 4 and 5 roads under consideration for these options, please refer to this PDF map. We also have a list of Class 4 and 5 roads in the City of Waterloo, by neighbourhood.

Generally speaking, Class 4 and 5 roads are local and minor collector roads. Local roads provide access to residential properties, typically have low traffic volumes and low traffic speeds. Minor collector roads provide access to residential properties, connect local roads to higher order roads, and have medium traffic volumes. Although we tend to think of roads as designed for vehicles, they are also used by cyclists and, in areas without sidewalks, by pedestrians. Even those cyclists and pedestrians looking to stay off of roads as much as possible must still cross them. Particularly in residential areas, cyclists, pedestrians and other vulnerable road users (such as children and the elderly) are all sharing very close space with vehicles (moving and parked).

Option A: 40 km/h speed limit on residential roads with 30 km/h school zones

This scenario proposes reducing the posted speed limit on all class 4 and 5 roads to 40 km/h with 30 km/h school zones, as identified on this PDF map. Signs would be posted at the entrance to neighbourhoods, indicating that the area is a 40 km/h zone. All school zones, except those on Regional Roads not controlled by the city, would be 30 km/h zones. The remainder of city streets would remain either as currently signed or as default 50 km/h.

Option B: 30 km/h speed limit on residential roads and in school zones

This scenario proposes reducing the posted speed limit on all class 4 and 5 (local and minor collector) roads and school zones to 30 km/h, as identified on this PDF map. All school zones, except those on Regional Roads not controlled by the city, would be 30 km/h zones. The remainder of city streets local and residential streets would remain either as currently signed or as default 50 km/h.

To help understand the potential impacts these scenarios might have on travel times, please try our estimated travel time tool.

Share your thoughts on these two options with our project team through our survey. In addition to our public survey, the project team is also in discussion with various transportation professionals to get their thoughts as well.

Speed limits are set to provide drivers with the most appropriate rate of travel, based on the specific road conditions. Examples of conditions include: poor sightlines, school zones, congested areas, urban areas, neighbourhood zones, and areas with vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, children and the elderly.

Appropriate speeds are key to achieving an improvement in road safety, especially for those vulnerable road users. Speed regulations and posted speed limits help drivers in selecting appropriate operating speeds for the given road condition. The maximum safe speed at any location is dependent on road geometry, traffic patterns and the road environment. City Council has expressed a strong desire to see lower vehicle speeds on neighbourhood streets and around schools.

Building on the City’s current pilot which reduces the speed limit in the Westvale, Eastbridge and Old Abbey neighbourhoods, this project will focus on Class 4 and 5 roads (local and minor collector roads) on residential streets and school zones.

Major collector and arterial roads under both City and Regional jurisdiction are intended to facilitate the movement of large volumes of people and goods, and are out of scope for this project. Roads in industrial areas are also not included.

Why 30 km/h?

During the April 19, 2021 Council meeting (discussion begins at approximately 4:48:28), Council approved the Transportation Master Plan, and directed staff to present options for advancing 30 km/h options for Class 4 and 5 roads (local and minor collector) on residential streets and in school zones.

To help us all understand the personal travel implications of these changes, the City of Waterloo has collaborated with TraffMobility to create an estimated travel time tool. This tool allows you to enter your starting point, and your destination, and will then show estimated travel time using the speed limits for existing conditions, Option A and Option B. (The tool uses Waterloo open data and Google Maps data to output the estimated time of arrival for each proposed option.)

Please note that the difference in travel times within the tool is expressed using decimals: a time difference of an additional 0.09 minutes is about 5-6 seconds.

It is important to note that the travel time estimates created by this tool only consider travel speeds at the posted speed limits for each scenario. Future travel times will be estimated based on historical data.

Try the estimated travel time tool to see the impact of the two options on your travel times.

For example, to go from Edna Staebler Public School (450 Bernay Drive) to Sandowne Public School (265 Sandowne Drive) takes about 16.45 minutes (about 16 minutes, 27 seconds) under our current conditions. According to the estimated travel time tool, Option A would increase the travel time by 0.31 minutes (about 19 seconds), and Option B would increase the travel time by 1.36 minutes (about 1 minute, 26 seconds).