Waterloo to reduce speeds to 40 km/h on many streets

Eastbridge, Westvale neighbourhoods will be most affected

WATERLOO — City council plans to reduce residential speed limits to 40 km/h on dozens of individual streets and across two neighbourhoods.

Council voted in May to fast-track planned traffic changes and add a few more, aiming to give greater priority to pedestrians and cyclists.

The plan to “create slower streets and extend our cycling network will make it easier for residents to move around safely,” said Coun. Jeff Henry, who lives without a car and spearheaded the drive for change.

Some traffic measures are being rolled out and others require approval by council at a meeting Monday.

Affected streets are in 11 different areas of Waterloo and are currently posted at 50 km/h. Westvale and Eastbridge neighbourhoods would be limited to 40 km/h.

City hall intends to evaluate the success of reducing speed limits in the fall. Experience suggests speed limits have limited impact as motorists typically drive at speeds that are comfortable for the traffic and road design.

The city plans an unwarranted all-way stop at Marshall Street and Carter Avenue and new on-street bicycle lanes along Keats Way and Wideman Road. Onstreet parking will be eliminated for new bicycle lanes.

Councillors are making changes partly out of concern that safety-conscious passengers who are not riding Grand River Transit during the pandemic may choose to drive, undermining a long campaign to dissuade driving.

Regional government is

also planning changes along commuter routes it controls.

This will “make it possible for thousands more residents across our city to choose walking and cycling for their essential trips during this pandemic, and to continue to choose sustainable transportation after the pandemic has ended,” Henry said.

Waterloo residents ride in cars for 80 per cent of daily trips they take. They walk or cycle for 11 per cent of trips, the government found in surveying the community in 2016.

Council aims to dissuade driving to help fight climate change, and to support a more compact, less suburban city that puts more people into less space.