Speed and Traffic Calming
Neighbourhood Traffic Safety Program
In an ongoing effort to ensure Oakville’s residential streets are safe for all road users of all ages, the town has introduced the Neighbourhood Traffic Safety Program. The program will see the implementation of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras, and an increase in community safety zones and pedestrian crossovers, to address speeding and aggressive driving in Oakville’s residential neighbourhoods.
There are six components to the program, each complementing the other to support the overall program objective:
What is Traffic Calming?
Traffic calming is a term used to describe a combination of mostly physical features that are intended to reduce speeding on neighbourhood roads and improve safety conditions for everyone who uses the road.
The traffic calming treatment available for a road depends on the classification of the road. Review the Residential Speed Survey map for road classifications.
- For minor collector and local roads, some examples of traffic calming measures include speed cushions, roundabouts and flexible bollards.
- Arterial and major collector roads are not eligible for physical traffic calming measures, but may qualify for passive traffic calming features such as radar speed display signs.
These types of measures, if applied appropriately, can successfully reduce vehicle speeds and volumes in residential neighbourhoods.
How do I get traffic calming on my street?
To intiate a request for traffic calming on your road, please review the Traffic Calming Implementation process.
Physical traffic calming
Curb extension
- Widening of curb into roadway, typically at intersections to reduce vehicle speeds
- Slows vehicles making turns and reduces crossing distance for pedestrians
- Provides opportunity for visual/landscape enhancement
Roundabout
- A roundabout is a circular intersection where drivers travel counter-clockwise around a centre island
- Aesthetically pleasing, while enhancing safety
- Already implemented in several locations in Oakville
Raised centre median
- An elevated median constructed in the centre of the roadway
- Helps slow traffic without reducing capacity, while providing visual aesthetic
- Reduction in pedestrian-vehicle conflict
Traffic circle
-
An island located at the centre of an intersection, which requires vehicles to travel through the intersection in a counter-clockwise direction around the island
Concrete speed cushion
- The Town of Oakville has implemented this measure in most school zones in the town
- Features a centre 'knock-down' post allowing emergency vehicles to pass
- Slows passenger vehicles via a small speed hump on roadway
- Designed to accommodate wide wheel base of emergency vehicles (easy passage)
- Use on local and collector roads
Speed humps
- A raised area of a roadway, which causes the vertical upward movement of a passing vehicle
- Speed humps reduce vehicle design speeds by making in uncomfortable to drive at high speeds
Passive traffic calming
Radar speed display signs
- Displays speed of vehicle to its driver via an electronic display
- Provides driver with feedback regarding vehicle operating speed
- Can be permanently or temporarily installed
Pavement markings
- Used on roadway used to define space for vehicles (edge lines, cycle lanes)
- Clearly indicate driving space
Narrow driving lanes
- Narrow the driving lanes to encourage drivers to slow down
The town's first pedestrian crossover was implemented in January 2017 at Navy Street and Church Street. The town’s Pedestrian Safety Program recommends over 170 pedestrian crossover locations be implemented across the town over the next 10-15 years.
Visit the pedestrian crossovers page to learn the proper way to use them.
A Community Safety Zone (CSZ) is a section of a roadway designated through a by-law passed by Council to identify a segment of the road where public safety is of paramount concern. Community Safety Zones may include roadways near schools, day care centres, active parks, hospitals, and senior citizen residences, and may also be used for collision prone areas within a community.
The Highway Traffic Act (HTA) currently allows municipalities to designate road segments as CSZs where public safety is of special concern and certain HTA fines (including speeding) are doubled. In June 2019, Council approved a report which recommended that CSZs be implemented at every 40 km/hour zone fronting an elementary school on a major road.
Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) is an automated system that uses a camera and a speed measurement device to detect and capture images of vehicles travelling in excess of the posted speed limit.
ASE is designed to work in tandem with other road safety measures, such as traffic calming, community safety zones, speed display boards, education initiatives, and police enforcement, to help improve safety for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and our most vulnerable members of our population such as seniors and children.
Town Council recommended the use of 14 cameras to be installed and rotated through the town’s community safety zones beginning in spring 2023.
How ASE works
When a vehicle exceeds the posted speed limit in an ASE area, the ASE system captures an image of the vehicle. A provincial offences officer reviews the image and issues a ticket. The ticket, including a digital copy of the image and an enlargement of the license plate, is mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle within 30 days of the offence.
Tickets are issued to the owner of the vehicle regardless of who was driving. No demerit points will be issued.
Why use ASE?
ASE is proven to effectively enforce speed limits, increase driver awareness and decrease injuries and fatalities. A number of municipalities across Ontario have already implemented ASE.
ASE is about safety. Everyone has likely exceeded the speed limit at one time or another, but with clear signage posted, ASE is the reminder we all need to slow down and help keep our communities safe, especially in areas where people of all ages tend to walk, run, bike and play.
Learn more about ASE including frequently asked questions, on the ASE Ontario website.
In January 2021, Town Council voted to implement a plan to reduce the default speed limit from 50 km/hour to 40 km/hour on all local and minor collector roads. Currently in Oakville, the default speed limit on any road that is not signed is 50 km/hour. Council has directed staff to conduct a pilot study in three areas across town, and report back on findings in 2023.
One of the key planning goals from the Town’s transportation master plan, Switching Gears, is to provide a safe and efficient transportation system for all road users. The Town currently has various initiatives to improve traffic safety under the Neighbourhood Traffic Safety Program noted in this report, including education and outreach, network screening, and crossing guard programs. The Town also recognizes the emerging Vision Zero philosophy that is gaining momentum worldwide for eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries among all road users by providing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all. Vision Zero embraces the philosophy that all traffic deaths are preventable, and it is a shared responsibility amongst policymakers and designers to ensure a safety system for all road users.
A study to examine the town’s standing with respect to road safety performance and programs in light of the Vision Zero philosophy is underway. The findings and recommendations from this assignment will set the stage for guiding the development of a more detailed Vision Zero (or similar) program and action plan for Oakville.