Overview
The City of Ottawa is conducting a Neighbourhood Traffic Calming Study along Maxime Street between Eugene Street and Cyrville Road in response to traffic concerns raised by residents. The main concern noted along this street is speeding.
This study focuses on key locations within the means of the Neighbourhood Traffic Calming Program. Traffic calming is the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behaviour, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users. Additional information on traffic calming can be found online.
Proposed concept plan
Based on traffic data, a proposed concept plan has been developed.
This plan includes:
- Maxime Street between Eugene Street and Ridgebrook Drive
- 4 speed humps. This section of the street is not an OC Transpo route.
- Maxime Street between Ridgebrook Drive and Cyrville Road
- 3 speed cushions. Speed cushions are being proposed along this section of the street because it is an OC Transpo route. Speed cushions allow large vehicles like buses and emergency response vehicles to straddle the cushions. No-parking signage is installed within 15m of the speed cushions so large vehicles can straddle the cushions properly.
- Maxime Street/Meadowbrook Road Intersection
- Corner tightenings (curb radii reductions) and accessibility improvements at all four corners.
- Maxime Street/Cyrville Road Intersection
- A corner tightening (curb-radii reduction) on the north-east corner.
Please view the proposed Maxime Street Concept Plan. [ PDF 3.1 MB ]
Additional information about the proposed traffic calming measures
There are many benefits to implementing traffic calming measures along a street including reduced vehicular speeds and increased pedestrian safety. The following section will provide an overview of the potential traffic calming options along Maxime Street, which includes a combination of speed cushions, speed humps, and corner tightenings (curb-radii reductions).
Speed Cushions
Speed cushions are a type of vertical traffic calming measure which cause a vertical upward movement of the vehicles that are traversing over them. They are raised areas, similar to speed humps (see Speed Humps section below), but not covering the entire width of the road. They are designed to allow large vehicles to ‘straddle’ the cushions, resulting in less impacts to emergency and transit vehicle operations. Smaller vehicles are vertically deflected which generally results in lowered vehicles speeds as motorists slow to avoid unpleasant sensations when traversing them.
The benefits of speed cushions include reduced vehicular speeds, they are self-enforcing, and they impact larger vehicles less than other vertical measures. Potential disbenefits include that they may affect emergency response times (but less than other vertical measures), could create noise and vibrations, may result in a loss of some on-street parking (adjacent to the speed cushions), require additional winter maintenance due to the gaps in between the cushions, and may cause discomfort to some drivers and passengers at high travel speeds.
The photo below provides an example of speed cushions that are located along Knudson Drive in Kanata.
Speed Humps
Speed humps are defined as a raised section of the road that causes a vertical deflection of both the vehicle’s wheels and frame.
The benefits and disbenefits of speed humps are similar to those of speed cushions (see Speed Cushions section). Some of the differences between speed humps and speed cushions include:
- Speed humps have more of an impact on larger vehicles than speed cushions. Larger vehicles can ‘straddle’ the cushions but cannot avoid speed humps.
- Speed humps have fewer potential impacts to on-street parking than speed cushions.
The photo below provide an example of speed humps that are located along Kingsdale Avenue in Blossom Park.
Corner Tightenings (Curb-Radii Reductions)
Corner tightenings or curb-radii reductions involve modifications of intersection corners to implement tighter corners (smaller radii). The benefits of corner tightenings include reducing speeds of right-turning vehicles and shortening crossing distances. The disbenefits include larger vehicles may need to cross into adjacent travel lanes and there’s the potential for larger vehicles to mount the curbside space.