FAQs

Neighbourhoods with speed limit reductions to 40 km/h will have 40 km/h “AREA” gateway signage installed at the entrances to the neighbourhood from the main roads. If you have entered a neighbourhood with a 40 km/h AREA sign, the speed limit is 40 km/h, unless otherwise posted. 

City Council directed staff to present a plan to reduce the speed limit in neighbourhoods across the city. Staff brought forward a comprehensive plan to complete this over three phases, with the majority of work proposed to take place over the next three years. 

This approach is new for most of Kingston, but it was piloted in two neighbourhoods in 2022 – Strathcona Park and Westwoods. 

No. While each city has their own unique set of circumstances, many cities across Ontario are reducing speed limits in residential areas using AREA signs, and further reducing speed limits down to 30 km/h along school frontages in those areas. 

Implementing speed limit reductions on an area basis allows the City to take action in setting appropriate, enforceable regulations to lower vehicle speeds within neighbourhoods. This approach allows for consistent expectations for lower vehicle speeds in neighbourhoods and sets the basis for future road designs. 

To aid in the implementation of AREA speed limits, road pavement markings will be installed to reinforce the need to drive safely. There are several other related programs and initiatives offered by the City that support reduced speed limits, including Automated Speed Enforcement, the City’s existing Traffic Calming Program, educational initiatives and active route to school programing, pedestrian crossings, and other road safety infrastructure projects.   

The first phase of this large multi-phase project involves implementing area speed limits in approximately 25 neighbourhoods with schools, which is tied to time-limited grant funding with a requirement to complete this work by the end of 2025.