Traffic calming measures have popped up across the city as a means to make the streets safer and slow the speed of motorists.
There were six temporary traffic calming measures implemented this year, the streets were Kortright Road East, Starwood Drive, Scottsdale Drive, Riverview Drive, Waverley Drive and Rickson Avenue.
The temporary measures are seasonal and are removed in November. The temporary measures are rubber speed cushions and flexible bollards.
“The roadways that we’ve installed measures on this year will receive permanent measures, the timing of when that will happen has not yet been determined,” said Paul Hutchison, the city's supervisor of traffic engineering.
The city is reviewing the temporary measures while they are currently in place and are verifying their effectiveness to make decisions on the measures come 2023.
There is no timeline for when the temporary measures will become permanent. The city should know more once plans for 2023 are approved.
Some streets with temporary measures from this year will have the temporary measures installed again next summer.
“Traffic speed and volume data is collected and analyzed on roadways throughout the city on an annual basis as part of our data collection program and when we receive concerns from local residents,” said Hutchison in an email.
“The prioritization process takes a variety of factors into consideration including collision history, traffic speed and volume, road classification, and pedestrian generators on each roadway such as schools, community centres, commercial plazas,” he said.
According to the city’s traffic calming policy some traffic calming measures are not recommended such as a full road closure, raised sidewalks or raised intersections and rumble strips.
The yellow traffic calming curbs installed on Kortright Road East at Brady Lane and at Katelynn Drive and on Maple Street at Forest Street are part of a pilot project, said Hutchison.
This is the only pilot project for traffic calming measures, the rest are seasonal temporary measures.
There are permanent traffic calming measures on Kathleen Street, Arthur Street North, King Street, Queen Street, Division Street, Exhibition Street, Dufferin Street and Zaduk Place.
Most of the permanent measures were implemented in the early 2000s, aside from Zaduk Place in 2019.
