Updated Speed Zoning Policy

The City of Ottawa City Council approved an updated speed zoning policy on October 28th, 2009 replacing the policy that was first established over thirty years ago.

The Speed Zoning Policy confirms speed zoning methodology, addresses residential 40 km/h speed limits, establishes a community engagement process for setting speed limits on local residential roads, sets speed limits on gravel roads, streamlines the speed zoning process, implements school speed zones and empowers the community by creating an “engagement” approach to setting speed zones.

City Council approved the following guidelines be used to determine the speed limit for each class of roadway, as defined in the Transportation Master Plan, within the City of Ottawa:

1. For local roads it is recognized that there are often other factors related to driver and community perception in a residential environment where a 40 km/h limit makes sense. Setting a lower speed limit has often had a limited impact on traffic flow, as these types of roads do not see large volumes of traffic. The Speed Zoning Policy has a process similar to the one used for parking regulation requests that engages the whole community. Within a residential neighbourhood, the request to change the speed limit on local roads will affect all residents of the street and therefore, it is important to determine if there is a consensus among residents. Where 66% of residents agree with the speed limit change, Public Works will change the speed limit on the local road.

2. For minor collector roads, which are distinct from local residential roads, the 40 km/h warrant will be applied to determine if 40 km/h is an appropriate speed limit for the minor collector roadway being reviewed. This warrant, which was approved by City Council in 2003, has proven to be a technically sound methodology used with success in establishing posted 40 km/h speed limits on residential streets.

3. For major collector and arterial roadways, the 85th percentile operating speed will be used as a basis to determine speed limits.

Speed limits are not posted on many collector and gravel roads in the rural area where the default speed limit is governed by the Highway Traffic Act. Most of these roads are lightly travelled and self-regulating and do not require signing. The updated Speed Zoning Policy recommends reviewing speed limits on these roads on a case-by-case basis or where there are other safety concerns present (i.e.: collision data suggests there is a problem). The policy includes a process for reviewing gravel roads starting with the 85th percentile criteria above and considering the unique nature that gravel driving surface presents.

The updated Speed Zoning Policy also addressed the two programs related to traffic safety and schools, the School Area program and the School Speed Zone program. The School Area program consists of warning signs installed in general proximity to a school and can be considered primarily for roadways near elementary and middle schools, where there is a possibility of children entering the roadway. Currently, all primary, middle schools and most high schools within the City have School Area warning signage.

City Council approved the use of the “School and Playground Areas and Zones: Guidelines for Application and Implementation” that was prepared by the Transportation Association of Canada in October 2006. The School Speed Zone program includes criteria for implementing school speed zones consisting of warning signs, a reduced speed limit and in some instances, flashing beacons and is applicable to elementary, middle and high schools.

In conclusion, the updated speed zoning policy provides sound engineering principles in establishing speed limits on City of Ottawa roads while ensuring community engagement in determining appropriate speed limits on local roadways within their communities. The full Speed Zoning Report is available on the City of Ottawa web site.