A proposal passed by the city’s transportation committee would give residents across Ottawa a greater say in lowering speed limits in their neighbourhoods.
Committee members backed the plan to change the city’s outdated speed zoning policy to what was billed as a more efficient and streamlined process, including increased opportunities for community input.
The proposal, which has been in the planning process for over a year, will be considered by city council on Oct. 28.
If council approves the proposal, residents can begin petitioning to change their street’s speed limit from 50 to 40 kilometres per hour – as long as 60 per cent of the residents on the street agree. The proposed lower speed limit would then be studied by staff and – if approved – posted.
“We’re putting the public back in public works,” John Manconi, the City of Ottawa’s public works general manager, said at the committee meeting.
The proposal originally called for a 75-per-cent consensus, but was amended after Coun. Marianne Wilkinson stressed that it would be “virtually impossible to get that many people to sign a petition.”
Coun. Shad Qadri said in the meeting that he worries drivers won’t adhere to a lower speed limit, since many already ignore the posted signs.
Other councillors expressed their concern that it's inappropriate for certain streets to have lower speed limits.
However, Manconi says changes would not be applied to all streets and assured the committee that public works will use behavioural specialists, street engineers and common sense to ensure any changes are safe for the public.
“We want to make sure we aren’t giving blanket changes to a speed limit that would have a negative impact if the engineering of the road means the speed limit should be higher,” says Maria McRae, chair of the committee. She adds that engineers will take into account the type of road, the number of previous collisions and the volume of vehicles on the road before approving a speed-limit change.
“(The proposal) is a bit overdue, but I’m glad that they’re looking at it now,” says Shawn Menard, president of the Centretown Citizens’ Community Association.
Menard adds that most downtown residents in the area will feel much safer with lower speed limits, especially since Centretown has a higher percentage of walkers than any community in the city.
“It becomes a quality of life issue for residents,” he says.
McRae says she has received many requests from residents to lower street speed limits and expects the public to be happy with the changes to the speed zoning policy.
“Any opportunity we get as councillors to slow traffic down, especially in a congested area like Centretown, is going to be met by the local community with high regard,” she says.
Currently, $50,000 is in place in the city’s sign budget to install more than 200 signs each year.
The new speed zoning policy will also include lowering speed limits in school zones, potentially changing speed limits on arterial and collector roads, and a suggestion to the province to lower the city’s default speed limit from 50 km/h.
“When it’s appropriate for the engineering of the road and it’s at the request of the community, you can never go wrong,”says McRae.