Overview
On behalf of area residents, speeding concerns on Cobden Road between Baseline Road and Iris Street were raised by the ward Councillor. City staff were asked to review the possibility of implementing speed humps on this segment. Upon review, some existing historical records and inquiries related to speeding on Cobden Road had previously been raised by residents in the area. Staff also reviewed the speed data and found that although the location does not meet the speed threshold to be a part of Neighbourhood Traffic Calming study list, it met the threshold required for temporary traffic calming measures. As per the report ‘Temporary Traffic Calming Measures Program Update’ (escribemeetings.com)(link is external) approved by City Council in 2019, if the operating speed on a street is 6km/h or higher than the posted speed limit, staff may coordinate with the Councillor and consider implementing temporary traffic calming measures. The report also specifies that speed humps should only be considered if the road is classified as local residential and is not on an emergency or transit route.
Cobden Road satisfies these criteria and is therefore eligible for the implementation of speed humps. After reviewing this information, the Councillor has indicated support to proceed with the process of implementing speed humps along Cobden Road pending community feedback.
After reviewing the results of the online survey conducted in the fall of 2024, the decision was made to proceed with the detailed design and construction of this project. More information, including the Public Engagement Feedback Report outlining the results of the survey is available in the Online Consultation section of this webpage.
Proposed Plan
The city has proposed the following conceptual plan to address the concerns raised along Cobden Road which can be viewed in the link below.
Cobden Road Recommended Plan [ PDF 2.847 MB ] Opens in a new tab or window(link is external)
Proposed Measures
Speed humps are raised areas of the roadway, which cause vertical movement of traversing vehicles.
Pros
- Reduces vehicle speed at/near measure
- Relatively cost-effective and simple to design and implement
- Minimal modification of existing roadway geometry, less construction disruption
- Self-enforcing
Cons
- May increase traffic induced noise and vibrations
- May impact emergency response activities
- May increase vehicle travel time
- May cause discomfort to some drivers
Online Consultation
To determine the community’s level of support to proceed with this study and to understand residents’ concerns related to traffic along Cobden Road, an online survey was conducted during October and November 2024.
Following the online survey, the Public Engagement Feedback Report (PEFR) was prepared to detail the results of the survey.
Overall, 44 percent of respondents indicated they were very or somewhat comfortable with the proposed plan while 51 percent indicated they were very or somewhat uncomfortable and 4 percent indicated they were neutral. With the ward Councillor’s approval, it was decided to proceed with the detailed design and construction phase of this project.