Traffic calming program

All single street requests follow the same process.

Step 1: Initiation (1-3 months)

This starts when a resident, Councillor or community group submits a request for traffic calming.

The first thing we do is check whether we have studied the submitted location in the last five years. We also look at future plans for the area. If a location is a good candidate we contact the requester with next steps.

Step 2: Petition (1-3 months)

After identifying a street as a program candidate, we provide the requester a petition. This helps us eliminate requests based on only one person’s opinion. The petition shows whether the broader community would support traffic calming at a location.

• The petition lists addresses of the street that may be affected by traffic calming.
• The requester is responsible for distributing the petition to eligible addresses.
• Residents of eligible addresses are responsible for submitting their response to the petition to 311. 

At least 25 percent support is required to proceed to next steps.

Once we review the petition for completeness, we contact the area Councillor to gage their support. We require their support to move the street to the next step.

Step 3: Engineering Assessment (6-12 months)

An engineering assessment helps us decide whether a street needs traffic calming. We collect and analyze data like speeds and volumes. We also visit the location to observe conditions in person.

• If the street is deemed a candidate, it proceeds to step 4.
• If the street is not a candidate, we inform the requester and area Councillor and close the file.

Step 4: Prioritization (timeline varies, prioritization takes place once annually)

We use a points-based system to compare candidate locations against each other. This ensures limited budget and resources go toward the highest priority locations.

The system considers:

• Speed data
• Traffic volumes
• Land use (like the presence of nearby schools)
• Equity (based on the socioeconomic condition of a neighbourhood)
• Presence of pedestrian and bike infrastructure
• Collision history

We review the prioritization list once a year.

We select a handful of high-priority locations per year to proceed to design and engagement.

Locations not selected to move forward remain on the priority list for consideration in future years.

Step 5: Design & Engagement (about 8 months once selected)

Because the program is designed to make communities safer for the people who live in them, we involve community members in the design process.

• We develop a series of options we think would best suit the context of the community.
• We then ask for feedback via a survey or community event and make adjustments based on what we hear.
• Engineers finalize the design and the project proceeds to next steps.

Step 6: Installation (timeline varies)

We aim to install treatments the year we complete design and engagement.

This can vary based on:

• Complexity of the design
• Available budget
• Available construction resources

We only consider neighbourhoods with significant shortcutting problems or complex traffic issues for the community traffic calming stream.

Once we identify a potential location, we research it to determine:

• Severity of traffic issues
• How surrounding development has affected traffic
• Whether we are planning any other roadway projects in the area
• Whether the ward Councillor supports installing traffic calming measures in the area
• Its classification as a geographic area of higher poverty

We use these factors to give it a priority ranking and place it on a list with other candidates. While we maintain this list on an ongoing basis, we only study one location at a given time.

Phase 1: Launch (6 months)

Includes:

• Project team formation
• Planning
• Hiring a consultant to undertake the study
• Stakeholder identification and outreach
• Initial project communications
• Advisory committee formation

Phase 2: Issues identification (6 months)

We identify key concerns through:

• Advisory committee meetings
• Public engagement
• Stakeholder engagement
• Data collection and evaluation

Phase 3: Solution development (6-12 months)

Includes:

• Designing solutions
• Collecting feedback via public and stakeholder engagement
• Refining solutions and assigning them for either immediate implementation or long-term consideration

Phase 4: Implementation (6+ months)

We implement Immediate-term solutions once we complete the study.

We may implement some on a trial basis and monitor them over time.

There is no set implementation timeline for solutions identified for consideration in the long term.