PARKWAY SAFETY MEASURES
Speed limits lowered on city streets
Speed limits have been lowered on two of Windsor’s most travelled and treacherous stretches of road.
The speed limit on Ojibway Parkway from the city’s border with LaSalle at Morton Drive to Sandwich Street is now 70 km/ h — down from the previous 80 km/h. Lauzon Parkway between Hawthorne Drive and County Road 42 has seen the same speed limit reduction.
“I did a little bit of math and the difference between travelling 80 and 70 is approximately seven seconds (per kilometre),” said Dwayne Dawson, the city’s executive director of operations.
“When you look at it from that perspective it’s better for everybody in terms of safety and traffic flow.”
Ojibway Parkway has been the scene of several serious accidents, which tend to occur where it intersects other streets — such as Weaver Road and Sprucewood Avenue.
Another problem area is near the Nemak plant, where slower moving vehicles are turning into faster moving traffic on Ojibway Parkway.
Adding to the road hazards is ongoing preparation work at the Gordie Howe International Bridge plaza site, which has increased the number of trucks travelling the area, Dawson said.
The fact drivers who are obeying the speed limits have to pound the brakes to drop to 50 km/h as they leave Ojibway Parkway at both ends — entering LaSalle to the south and Sandwich Street to the north — was also determined to be an “operational and safety” factor, he said.
The change was part of the city’s annual review of speed limits on all of its roads, Dawson said. The changes were approved a few weeks ago by city council and went into effect at the end of last week.
The reduction of the speed limit to 70 km/h on Lauzon Parkway between Hawthorne Drive — a block south of Tecumseh Road East — and County Road 42 is the result of several factors.
It is a heavily travelled stretch of road. Residential streets connect with it on the east side and there are turnoffs to retail and other businesses along the west side.
Also in that stretch vehicles are travelling over, as well as exiting onto and entering from, the E.C. Row Expressway. That creates additional “safety concerns,” said Dawson.
Reducing the speed limit is one of the recommendations that came out of an ongoing environmental assessment the city is doing with the aim of extending the busy road out to Highway 401, he said.
Any drivers upset with the speed limit changes — or limits on any city roads — are asked to call 311, Dawson said. Their comments will be considered during city’s next annual review of speed limits on local roads.
“I recognize these are drops in speed, but from a time perspective, there is not a huge increase in travel time,” Dawson said.
“We review all traffic movements annually. Where there are hot spots for collisions they do get our extra attention and a look by us to decide whether something needs to be done there.”
I did a little bit of math and the difference between travelling 80 and 70 is approximately seven seconds (per kilometre).