2. SPEED LIMIT REDUCTION FOR RIVERDALE AVENUE AND SUNNYSIDE AVENUE DIMINUTION DE LA LIMITE DE
VITESSE SUR LES AVENUES RIVERDALE ET SUNNYSIDE |
That Council approve that the speed limit be changed for both Riverdale and Sunnyside Avenues from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr.
recommandation du COMITÉ
Que le Conseil approuve la diminution de la limite de vitesse sur les avenues Riverdale et Sunnyside, de façon à ramener la vitesse permise de 50 km/h à 40 km/h.
The Committee approved the following direction
to staff:
That staff report to the
Transportation Committee on the process required to make the default speed
limit on local residential streets 40 km/hr.
Le
Comité a approuvé la directive suivante :
Que le
personnel soumette un rapport au Comité des transports sur le processus requis
pour faire en sorte que la limite de vitesse par défaut soit de 40 km/h
dans les secteurs résidentiels locaux.
Documentation
1.
Councillor
Clive Doucet’s report
dated 7 June 2006 (ACS2006-CCS-TRC-0006).
2. Extract
of Draft Minutes, 21 June 2006.
Report
to/Rapport au:
Transportation Committee/
Comité des transports
and Council/et au Conseil
7 June 2006 / le 7 juin 2006
Submitted
by/Soumis par: Councillor / Conseiller Clive Doucet
Contact/Personne-ressource: Councillor / Conseiller Doucet
|
Ward 17 (Capital / Capitale) |
Ref N°: ACS2006-CCS-TRC-0006 |
SUBJECT: SPEED LIMIT REDUCTION FOR RIVERDALE AVENUE AND
SUNNYSIDE AVENUE
OBJET: DIMINUTION DE LA LIMITE DE VITESSE
SUR LES AVENUES RIVERDALE ET SUNNYSIDE
REPORT
RECOMMENDATION
That the
Transportation Committee recommend that Council approve that that the speed limit be changed for both
Riverdale and Sunnyside Avenues from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr.
Que le Comité des transports recommande au Conseil d’approuver la diminution de la limite de vitesse sur les avenues Riverdale et Sunnyside, de façon à ramener la vitesse permise de 50 km/h à 40 km/h.
At the 7 June 2006 meeting of the Transportation Committee, Councillor Doucet brought forward the following Notice of Motion, for consideration at the next meeting:
Whereas both Riverdale and
Sunnyside Avenues in Old Ottawa South are residential streets;
Whereas aggressive driving on
these streets has resulted in increased noise and vibration for residents;
Whereas aggressive driving on
Sunnyside has resulted in severe pedestrian injuries including a young father
rendered paraplegic;
Whereas Hopewell School is located
along Sunnyside and hence a high proportion of pedestrians on Sunnyside are
children;
Whereas many similar collector streets in the City of Ottawa which are primarily residential have 40 km/hr speed limits and some major collectors have 40 km/hr speed limits (e.g. Knoxdale and Meadowlands);
Be it Resolved that the speed
limit be changed for both Riverdale and Sunnyside from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr.
CONSULTATION
In consultation with staff in Public Works and Services, the following comments have been provided:
The Safety and Traffic Services Division, of the Traffic and Parking Operations Branch, does not recommend the implementation of 40 km/h speed limits on either Sunnyside Avenue or Riverdale Avenue for reasons as outlined below.
Studies conducted following the implementation of 40 km/h speed limits within the Glebe and Dow’s Lake communities and at other locations including Iona Street and Huntersfield Drive, show that provision of the lower speed limit has not resulted in any measurable change in the operating speed.
The majority of speed related complaints received by the Department are from residents of streets with 40 km/h speed limits and the residents concerns regarding the lack of compliance with that limit. To address such complaints, extensive use of valuable Police resources is required in what seems to be a futile attempt to force drivers to comply with an unreasonably low speed limit.
The majority of the residential collector roadways within the City of Ottawa, and many of the recently constructed residential collector roadways within the former Cities of Nepean and Gloucester have a speed limit of 50 km/h. Although both Knoxdale Road and Meadowlands Drive have posted speed limits of 40 km/h, speed surveys indicate both operate as 60 km/h roadways with extremely low driver compliance.
The most recent speed surveys undertaken on Sunnyside Avenue indicate an average speed in the order of 45 km/h and approximately 65% of drivers obeying the 50 km/h speed limit. The implementation of a 40 km/h speed limit will result in similar average speeds but with a much lower driver compliance rate. Similarly, the average speed of traffic on Riverdale Avenue is 50 km/h with a compliance rate of slightly less than 60%. As with Sunnyside Avenue, a reduction to 40 km/h will result in a compliance rate of less than 5% without a measurable reduction in overall vehicle speeds.
It is important to maintain
consistent, uniform speed limits on any roadway to provide all road users
including pedestrians, cyclists, adjacent residents and motorists with a
correct representation of the actual speed of traffic on that street. The provision of unreasonable speed limits,
especially related to roadway function and development, may result in
enforcement difficulties and increases in traffic hazard, as the majority of
motorists continue to drive at speeds they find to be reasonable and prudent,
having regard to the prevailing roadway conditions. The resulting greater differences in relative speeds between
these motorists and the majority of motorists causes increased risk. In addition, traffic hazards may increase as
drivers are forced to expend extra effort to continually adjust their speeds to
come into line with unreasonable speed limits.
This action could result in less
driver attention being available for other competing traffic elements such as
other motorists, pedestrians, or cyclists.
Contrary to popular opinion, the provision of higher speed limits, when
appropriate, can result in safer traffic operations. It should be emphasized
that there is no safety inherent in the public reliance on a speed limit that
is inconsistent with the speeds actually travelled by traffic.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATIONS
Typically, the cost to manufacture and install
a sign displaying the posted speed limit is $200 to $250, plus ongoing
maintenance. To properly post the speed
limit on Sunnyside Avenue, eighteen (18) 40 km/h speed limit signs are
required. Riverdale Avenue will also
require eighteen (18) 40 km/h speed limit signs. A total combined installation cost of between $7,200 and $9,000
would be incurred, plus ongoing maintenance.
No funding has been identified within the 2006
Budget.
To
address residents’ concerns regarding excessive speeding on both Riverdale
Avenue and Sunnyside Avenue, the Department will conduct several spot speed
surveys along each roadway to determine the extent of the problem. In addition, deployments of the portable digital
speed display boards can be scheduled over the summer and into the Fall as a
reminder to drivers (including residents) to travel in a respectful manner on
these streets.
A thorough review/analysis of the collision history along Sunnyside Avenue will also be undertaken to assess the need for possible remedial action. This review will take into consideration the number of speed related collisions as well as all other causes.
In
addition, Riverdale Avenue and Sunnyside Avenue will be added to the Integrated
Road Safety Program's Speeding Costs You, Phase 2 comprehensive
education and enforcement campaign. The
Campaign includes the use of radar-equipped speed display boards, temporary
signs warning of "Zero Tolerance" for speeding and information pamphlets
provided by Police officers - to offending motorists - stressing the importance
of driving safely in compliance with speed limits. As Sunnyside Avenue between Bronson Avenue and Grosvenor Avenue
is already scheduled to be targeted as part of this campaign, the section of
Sunnyside Avenue east of Bank Street will be added.
The results of the above actions will be communicated to the Councillor once completed.
SPEED LIMIT REDUCTION FOR RIVERDALE AVENUE AND SUNNYSIDE AVENUE
DIMINUTION DE LA LIMITE DE VITESSE SUR LES AVENUES RIVERDALE ET
SUNNYSIDE
ACS2006-CCS-TRC-0006 capital/capitale (17)
For
purposes of discussion, the Committee agreed to consider Items 3 and 4
together, Item 3 being the report entitled Speed Limit
Reduction for Heron Road, West of Bank Street Between Bank and Data Centre Road
(ACS2006-CCS-TRC-0005).
Councillor Doucet advised that this
section of Heron Road is entirely residential and residents have complained
many times about the difficulty trying to cross the street, as well as the
noise caused by large vehicles hitting manhole covers at excessive speeds and
shaking nearby homes. He acknowledged
the community’s long-standing request to have a speed reduction on this portion
of the road, which he believed to be a reasonable request, given similar
arterials such as Bronson Avenue in the Glebe is posted at 50 km/h. He indicated that the local community
association has passed a motion in favour of this speed reduction.
With regards to Riverdale and
Sunnyside Avenues, the Councillor indicated that the Old Ottawa South Community
Association has passed a motion in favour of this speed reduction. He made note of the fact that both are
residential and Sunnyside is where the city’s largest middle school is located
and which fronts right on the street.
He indicated that Riverdale is used largely as a cut-through for drivers
wanting to get from Bank to Main and they often speed on this residential
street.
The committee received
the following public delegations:
Robert
Brown, resident spoke in support of the proposed reduction of speed
limit on Riverdale Avenue. He was
concerned about the volume and speed at which traffic is travelling on this
very residential street and the safety impact it has on residents; commercial
truck traffic and buses also use Riverdale.
He indicated that even though Riverdale has a speed hump, motorists only
slow down to go over it, then quickly pick up speed again. He supported further traffic calming
measures, adding that even a small reduction in the average traffic speed would
make a difference to residents. He
suggested that education and enforcement is another strategy that should be
explored to ensure motorists are aware of the residential nature of this street
and he believed that posting a 40 km/h speed limit would serve to warn
motorists that there is a reason to slow down.
In response to a question posed by Councillor Bédard, Mr. Brown
explained that it is unusual to have a relatively narrow residential street with
the volume of cars it currently has, especially when there are alternate routes
available to motorists. He remarked
that Riverdale was not intended to act as a high volume, arterial road.
Leo Doyle,
Chair, OSWATCH, Ottawa South Community Association reiterated the fact
that the problems on Sunnyside and Riverdale is a result of longstanding
changes in the city. He made note of
the fact that at the intersection of Sunnyside and Bronson there is dense
residential development on both corners and he recognized the City’s success in
changing under-used land into dense residential use. However, the impact this has had on the roads that used to serve
the previous development, i.e., sidewalk width, roads and speed limits, no
longer adequately serve the adjacent land use.
He believed there was a direct correlation between pedestrian injuries
(including the death of one individual) and the speed at which the vehicle
involved was travelling. He did not
believe any change to the design of the road to reduce travel speed would occur
until there is a need to replace the sewers, which is not likely to happen
soon. However, he believed the City
could at least extend the same standards currently applied in some of its
suburban communities, to those on Riverdale and Sunnyside, and implement a
lower speed limit.
Following
a one-hour recess, the committee resumed the meeting at 12:05 p.m.
In
response to the concerns and requests expressed by the public delegations, Mike
Flainek, Director of Traffic and Parking Operations indicated that if staff
felt a reduced speed on these roads would increase safety for residents, they
would not hesitate to recommend that to the Committee. He reminded members that it is the
Department’s job to provide for a safe transportation route for all users and
highlighted the fact that each report deals with a different classification of
road and a there is a different hierarchy applied to each. He elaborated on the fact that arterials,
such as Heron Road, are designed to carry traffic and the Department wants them
to work properly so motorists are not encouraged to cut through residential
streets; reducing the speed would not eliminate this. Also, there are concerns related to calming arterial roads. Staff do not support a reduction in the
speed limit on this section of Heron Road, because there would be very little
compliance; motorists travel at what they feel is a safe speed based on the
prevailing conditions. Mr. Flainek
emphasized the importance of maintaining a consistent and uniform speed limit
in order to protect all road users, including pedestrians, noting that the
provision of unreasonable speed limits can result in problems with enforcement.
The
Committee received sheets of data illustrating other streets that have
undergone speed limit changes and the result was either the same or a slightly
worse level of compliance. The Director
summarized, therefore, that posted speed limits do not have a significant
effect on travelled speed, although increased development and the presence of a
school will often encourage motorists to drive slower. As detailed in the Disposition in the
report, staff intend to take specific action to help residents and the ward
councillor with speeding problems.
Following
some discussion about enforcement, Councillor Legendre recognized that the police
do not ticket speeding motorists until they have driven well beyond the posted
speed. Staff Sergeant Rick Lavigne of
the Ottawa Police Service confirmed that officers allow motorists to travel a
few kilometres over the posted speed before issuing a ticket, taking into
consideration any slight differences in the motorists’ spedometer and the
equipment the police use to guage speeds.
He indicated that posting lower speeds would only give a false sense of
security to residents and it might cause more of a problem to apply a speed
limit that is not appropriate for the road.
In response to the comment made by the delegation, he mentioned that the
accidents referred to were not speed related.
Councillor
Legendre understood the intent of the ward councillor bringing forward these
issues, and acknowledged that aggressive driving does occur. He also understood the staff position about
not necessarily getting increased compliance, but he questioned whether safety
would be achieved when there is an effective integrated road safety program
(IRSP) in place. SSgt. Lavigne advised
that the IRSP has been in place for several years and has resulted in increased
enforcement and a reduction of accidents and fatalities. Mr. Flainek added that it is a highly
successful partnership between Public Works and Services, Public Health and the
Ottawa Police and in this particular situation, part of the solution is to deal
with the issues within the IRSP.
Chair
Stavinga referred to the Disposition in both reports and asked what other
remedial action staff would prefer to take with regards to Riverdale and
Sunnyside. The Director indicated that
Sunnyside will undergo a separate review, including examining the possibility
of traffic calming devices, et cetera.
The same type of review would occur for Riverdale, which currently has a
speed hump. Both would be reviewed in
2007.
The Chair
suggested that one way to educate drivers is through the schools, whereby kids
bring the message about safe driving home to their parents. She believed that education is a tool that
should be implemented as a first attempt to encourage compliance. The Director confirmed that staff do work
with the local schools and community associations to educate residents in this
regard. Should the Committee reject the
recommendations, the Chair asked whether staff would require an alternative
Motion that speaks to the Disposition section of the report and staff confirmed
it would be taken care of automatically.
With
respect to Riverdale and Sunnyside, Councillor Doucet indicated that the
community is very concerned about the accidents that have happened and they
know that if drivers respected the posted speed, the chances of accidents
happening would decrease. He reiterated
the fact that motorists have to drive at slower speeds on certain streets, and
he recognized the inconsistency across the city with respected to posting lower
speeds on similar streets. He cited
information (held on file) proving that physical injuries are lessened when
pedestrians or other vehicles are struck by drivers travelling at a slower
speed.
Some
councillors agreed with the arguments put forward to reduce the speed on
Riverdale and Sunnyside, but were not so inclined to support a speed reduction
on Heron Road, mainly because they were different types of roads and traffic
should be treated differently on each.
Councillor
Bédard was of the opinion that all residential streets should be set at 40
km/h; however, he disagreed with implementing reduced speeds on an ad hoc basis
because it leads to confusion and is an improper way to manage traffic. He stated that the same argument to reduce
speed limits can be made for many streets in his ward and suggested he would
request the same if these recommendations were approved today.
Councillor
Doucet expected there would be considerable resistance to lowering the speed on
Heron Road, because it is a different quality of road from Riverdale and
Sunnyside. He explained he was bringing
this forward in response to community concerns based on the history associated
with this roadway since it’s original widening. Residents would like to see this section of Heron Road returned
to the safe residential street it once was, and he reminded Committee members of
the price many inner city communities have paid for growth in Ottawa. He believed the only way to respect
residential communities that have arterial traffic flowing through them, is for
motorists to be encouraged to travel at safe speeds. He urged Committee to approve the recommendations in both
reports.
Regardless
of how the Committee votes on either report recommendation, the Director
advised that staff would follow through on their comments made in the
Disposition section of each report and would follow-up with Councillor Doucet
in this regard in the fall.
In
response to a question posed by Chair Stavinga, Richard Hewitt, A/Deputy City
Manager of Public Works and Services noted that if approved, there would be a
cost of $9,000 (not included in the 2006 budget) to install signs along Riverdale
and Sunnyside. The Committee
acknowledged that these funds would be found from within the existing
Departmental budget.
Moved by
C. Doucet
That the Transportation Committee
recommend Council approve that the residential portion of Heron Road west of
Bank Street between Bank Street and Data Centre Road be changed from 60 km/hr
to 50 km/hr.
LOST
YEAS
(1): Councillor C. Doucet
NAYS (7): Councillors G.
Bédard, R. Bloess, E. El-Chantiry, A. Cullen, J. Legendre, M. McRae, J.
Stavinga
Councillor
Legendre wondered about the status of the proposal put forward by a former City
of Ottawa councillor with respect to reducing all residential local streets to
40 km/h. In accordance with the Highway
Traffic Act, the Director advised that if a local street is not signed, the
travelled speed is 50 km/h by default.
The councillor strongly believed in a uniform approach and
suggested that when drivers realize the kind of street they are on, they drive
appropriately. He maintained having a
uniform speed across the city would also assist in the IRSP.
Moved by J. Legendre
That staff report to the Transportation
Committee on the process required to make the default speed limit on local
residential streets 40 km/hr.
CARRIED
Moved by
C. Doucet
That the Transportation Committee recommend
Council approve that the speed limit be changed for both Riverdale and
Sunnyside Avenues from 50 km/hr to 40 km/hr.
CARRIED
YEAS (5): Councillors R.
Bloess, A. Cullen, C. Doucet, J. Legendre, J. Stavinga
NAYS
(3): Councillors G. Bédard, E.
El-Chantiry, M. McRae