We are excited to announce that the 40km/h area speed limit pilot project has been completed in the neighbourhood area bounded by Young Street, King Street South, and Industrial Parkway. This initiative was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of reduced speed limits in improving road safety.
Signs indicating the 40km/h speed limit have been installed at key neighbourhood boundaries, including:
- Young Street
- King Street South
- Industrial Parkway
Pilot Area Map
As of May 2017, the Highway Traffic Act allows speed limits other than 50 km/h to be established without street-by-street signage in bounded zones.
40 km/h AREA BEGINS signs have been installed at the streets that enter the neighbourhood area and 40 km/h AREA ENDS signs have been installed at the streets that exit the neighbourhood area at the boundary of the designated area.
40 km/h Area Signs
Aside from the 40 km/h AREA signs at the entrances and exits of the neighbourhood, the 40 km/h speed limit is not signed along the streets within the neighbourhood area except where existing for school and park zones.
The roads at the boundary of the neighbourhood area including Young Street, King Street South, and Industrial Parkway remain at their current speed limit.
Please refer to the Council report #ENG-2025-03 below for additional information on the initiation of the pilot project and a map of the neighbourhood area speed limit signage locations.
Please also refer to the Council report #ENG-2025-17 below for an update on the pilot project. As noted in the report, traffic speeds collected within the neighbourhood area showed that the pilot project was effective at reducing traffic speeds in the area. Due to the effectiveness of the pilot project, the 40 km/h area speed limit will be maintained in the area bounded by Young Street, King Street South, and Industrial Parkway.
The 40 km/h neighbourhood area speed limit has been approved as a traffic calming measure that can be implemented by the Town in additional neighbourhood areas on an as-needed basis. Requests for additional 40 km/h neighbourhood area speed limits will be reviewed by Staff on a case-by-case basis, and implemented subject to the feasibility of the request, budget availability and Council’s approval.
Higher speeds can contribute to an increased risk of serious injuries and fatalities:
- While speeding, the drivers’ field of vision as well as their situational awareness is drastically reduced. These two important factors are crucial for anticipating and reacting to unexpected events or sudden changes in road conditions.
- The faster you are driving, the greater your stopping distance becomes in order to brake, which causes an increased risk of a collision.
- Higher speeds cause stronger impacts. If you are in a collision while driving at a higher speed, the blunt force between you and the individual or object you collide with can be much more fatal. This especially applies to those with less protection, such as a cyclist or a pedestrian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Reducing speed limits on residential streets and high pedestrian areas makes our streets safer, calmer, and quieter for everyone. Slowing down gives people more time to react to the unexpected, to prevent crashes and reduce the severity of collisions that do happen.