Traffic Calming
Find out what the Town is doing to reduce speeding on neighbourhood roads and improve safety conditions.
Types of traffic calming features
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
Lateral shift
- Realignment of a straight roadway
- Combined use of medians, curb extensions, or chicanes
- Increases driver alertness (through increased driving complexity) and reduces vehicle speed when negotiating the clear path
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
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
Speed cushion
- 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 wheelbase of emergency vehicles (easy passage)
- Used on local and collector roads, and most school zones
Speed hump
- A raised area of a roadway, which causes the vertical upward movement of a passing vehicle
- Speed humps reduce vehicle design speeds by making it uncomfortable to drive at high speeds
Traffic circle
- An island located at the centre of an intersection
- Requires vehicles to travel through the intersection in a counterclockwise direction around the island
In-road flexible sign
- Helps narrow the roadway to encourage slower traffic speeds
- Designed to bend upon impact, allowing emergency vehicles to pass without obstruction
- Seasonal installation; removed before winter and reinstalled in the spring
Pavement markings
- Used on roadway used to define space for vehicles (edge lines, cycle lanes)
- Clearly indicate driving space
- Narrower driving lanes encourage drivers to slow down
Radar speed display sign
- 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