Traffic Calming Policy Review

Thank you for your question. Yes, traffic calming may include the narrowing of vehicle travel lanes and/or roadways. Measures included in the draft guidelines that may have a narrowing effect include curb extensions, raised median islands, on-street parking, lane narrowing, and vertical centreline bollards. Specifically, when placed at an intersection or pedestrian crossing, curb extensions can reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and increase their visibility, as well as create a narrowed section of roadway.

More broadly, the City’s Active Transportation Master Plan and Active Transportation Implementation Plan provide a long-term roadmap for active transportation in Kingston for all ages and abilities through a multi-disciplinary approach, including infrastructure, programming, and operational investments. This includes the construction of prioritized sidewalk segments and pedestrian crossings that support safe walking trips and neighbourhood connections.

Thank you for your question. Under the proposed policy update, you can submit a neighbourhood transportation issue through its main customer service channels (contact@cityofkingston.ca or by calling 613-546-0000). If the primary issue is determined to be a speeding or traffic volume issue, traffic calming may be considered in the following ways:

• Your local City Councillor may select the roadway for a traffic calming implementation as part of the proposed annual process.
• Concerns that fall within neighbourhood areas that are participating in the City’s Safe Routes to School program will be captured for further review as part of this implementation.
• Community-based initiatives will be available to interested residents to address ongoing neighbourhood transportation concerns.
• Transportation issues received and reviewed by the City may be considered as part of long-term neighbourhood and capital project planning.
  
  

More information about the proposed changes and how requests will be considered can be found in the summary document found here: https://getinvolved.cityofkingston.ca/21605/widgets/87008/documents/54473 

Thank you for your question. As you have alluded to, there are a number of factors to consider when implementing traffic calming measures. These include impacts to transit, emergency services, cycling, and ongoing maintenance that may be required. At a higher level, the draft guidelines include general principles (outlined in Section 1.5) to be considered when selecting and implementing traffic calming measures. Collectively, these principles ensure that the appropriate traffic calming measures are selected, that they are compatible with the community's needs, and any potential negative impacts are minimized.

Also included in the draft guidelines is a more specific 'toolkit' of measures. For each measure considered, the toolkit includes a general description, the applicability, design/implementation considerations and ranges of costs for initial installation or construction. Each of these factors are considered and balanced with the goal of reducing vehicular speed along neighbourhood roads and improving safety for all road users.

Thank you for your feedback and question. Emergency Services will be consulted on traffic calming measures that may impact emergency response times. When selecting traffic calming measures, the City will strive to balance the needs of these services with slowing traffic on residential streets.

A few measures included in the updated guidelines are specifically designed to better accommodate emergency vehicles, including speed cushions, which are a narrower version of a speed hump and are installed in the middle of each travel lane. They are designed to slow passenger vehicles while allowing vehicles with larger wheelbases (i.e. emergency vehicles and buses) to pass unimpeded. More information about Emergency Services considerations are included as part of 1.10.4 in the draft Policy & Guidelines.

The traffic calming measures considered within the proposed traffic calming policy are applicable primarily along Local Roads. These roads are intended to permit local traffic to access private property and convey traffic to and from the collector street system in residential and neighbourhood areas. Depending on the scope of the project, built environment, and tools being considered, some traffic calming tools identified in the guidelines may also be applicable along Collector Roads.

For Arterial roads, their role and function typically requires a different approach than on Local and Collector roads. As such, the traffic calming policy is not specifically applicable to Arterial Roads. Speeding issues along arterial roadways require consistent enforcement, and are typically best addressed through longer-term capital planning, such as through the City’s Active Transportation Master Plan.

Reducing speed limits in isolation of other measures or changes to the roadway tends to have minimal impact on driver behaviour. Many motorists continue to drive at speeds they feel are reasonable and comfortable unless continual enforcement is present. The visual and physical cues that a driver uses to determine the appropriate speed should be consistent with the posted speed limit.