Committee approves enhancements to traffic-calming programs
Ottawa – Councillors now have more measures they can draw on to calm neighbourhood traffic in their wards, according to an update received today by the City’s Transportation Committee.
Starting this year, Councillors will be able to implement gateway speed-limit signs, permanent speed humps and speed tables, median-narrowing islands and pedestrian-refuge islands, with funding from their annual $50,000 budget for temporary traffic calming measures.
For neighbourhoods that require more permanent measures, the Committee also approved a streamlined study process to speed up implementation of traffic calming plans and improve safety for all road users. The new process would prioritize streets where small changes would have big impacts, allowing the City to address traffic issues in more neighbourhoods.
The Committee also approved design guidelines to ensure traffic calming measures are applied consistently to retrofits of existing streets.
Following the first phase of a two-phase review, the Committee approved amendments to the Road Activity By-law that would help mitigate the impact of road work on mobility and protect the City’s roads.
The amendments, which would come into effect on Monday, July 1, place responsibility on developers to resurface road cuts as part of construction. Changes include restricting road cuts into pavement less than three years old, expanding peak-hour restrictions on road work, increasing notification timelines and charging pavement degradation fees for all roads, with the revenue going towards road resurfacing projects.
Further recommendations related to the by-law, including fees and business processes, will be presented to the Committee next year.
Starting in April 2020, residents would be able to park their vehicles at Andrew Haydon Park in order to cycle to work, following the Committee’s approval of a three-year pilot project. The City would designate 10 spaces in the parking lot for cycling commuters, to be used between 6 am and 6 pm from April to November in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The Committee directed staff to review the City’s winter operations, including the consistency of service across Ottawa, to identify any opportunities for improvement in delivery. Staff will report back to the Committee before next winter. Staff would also review the City’s winter maintenance quality standards, with a report coming to the Committee for consideration in 2021.
The Committee also waived the requirements of the Encroachment By-law to extend last year’s pilot project to allow bike sharing stations on City property and on the City’s right of way this summer. Should the Province permit electric scooters on public roads this year, staff would extend the pilot project to electric scooter sharing companies.
