Thirty Kilometre Per Hour Speed Limits Applied in
Conjunction with Substantive Traffic-Calming Projects
- Renewal and Extension of Enabling Legislation.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee recommends the adoption of the report (September 22,
1998) from the General Manager, Transportation Services.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee reports, for the information of Council, having referred the brief
filed by Ms. Swarbrick to the General Manager, Transportation Services, and to the Toronto Pedestrian Committee, for
consideration and further report thereon to the Urban Environment and Development Committee in due course.
The Urban Environment and Development Committee recommends the adoption of the following report
(September 22, 1998) from the General Manager, Transportation Services:
Purpose:
To initiate the process of applying to the Provincial Legislature for the legislation necessary to renew and extend the
City's authority, which is set to expire in June 1999, to apply a regulatory 30kilometres per hour speed limit on streets
where substantive physical traffic-calming measures have been implemented.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
Nil.
Recommendations:
(1)That the City Solicitor, in consultation with the Commissioner of Works and Emergency Services, be authorized to
apply for special legislation to remove or, alternatively, extend the "sunset clause" in Bill Pr 54, an "Act Respecting the
City of Toronto" (the 30 kilometres per hour speed limit legislation), and also to extend the legislation to apply to the
entire area of the City of Toronto; and
(2)that the appropriate City officials be requested to take whatever action is necessary to give effect to the foregoing,
including the introduction in Council of any Bills that are required.
Background:
On June 27, 1999, special legislation enacted at the request of the former City of Toronto, allowing the former City
Council to set regulatory speed limits at 30 kilometres per hour (km/h) on streets withtraffic-calming will lapse, because
of a "sunset clause" contained in the Act. The legislation, BillPr 54 known as an Act Respecting the City of Toronto, 1996,
replaced a similar Act of 1994 (which had included a two-year sunset clause). In Ontario, speed limits on streets may not
be set lower than 40 kilometres per hour. Speed limits may be set as low as 20 km/h on roads within parks. No other
jurisdiction in Canada has provision for 30 kilometres per hour speed limits on streets but it is common in Europe where
traffic-calming is widely used.
Comments:
Since the initial authority has existed, the 30 km/h speed limit has been used only in conjunction with substantive
traffic-calming initiatives, as originally intended. In total, 20 streets measuring approximately 14 kilometres in length
have the reduced speed limit as documented in Appendix A of this report. Other streets are currently being considered for
traffic-calming and may result in additional cases of the lower speed limit. At this time, the legislation is applicable only
to streets within the former City of Toronto boundaries.
On Balliol Street, the location of the former City's traffic-calming pilot project in 1994, the 85thpercentile speed (the
speed exceeded by 15 percent of vehicles) was reduced from 47 km/h to 36km/h, and the average speed dropped from 40
km/h to 30 km/h. On streets with speed humps, 85th percentile speeds have typically fallen from 40 km/h to 30 km/h, with
average speeds (usually about sevenkilometres per hour lower) falling by a similar amount. More comprehensive
monitoring of vehicle speeds at traffic-calming locations will be undertaken in the autumn of this year to support the
legislative application.
Through the limited amount of data that has been collected to date, it has been documented that traffic speeds have been
significantly reduced by traffic-calming. A legal speed limit which reflects the driving environment is a matter of sound
engineering design. As is stated in Ontario's "Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices", the Ministry of
Transportation's standard traffic engineering publication:
"The indicated maximum rate of speed, determined and legalized by the Road Authority, is the rate of speed that can be
safely maintained by a fully competent driver if all conditions affecting the road, the vehicle and the driver are ideal."
Accordingly, based on the City's experience with traffic-calming, the 30 km/h speed limit option isboth a useful and
necessary traffic engineering tool. It is important to emphasize that this tool should only be used for its intended purpose;
that being to designate only those streets where physical measures have been implemented to reduce the safe driving
speed to this level. It is not appropriate to install such signs on a stand-alone basis, or in situations where safe operating
speeds exceed 30kilometres per hour. Currently, the legislation applies only to the former City of Toronto. There is
interest, amongst staff, Councillors and the general public, in extending this provision generally across the new City. This
application will provide an opportunity to standardize the legislative authority through the entire area of the new City.
It is acknowledged that traffic-calming is still controversial in Toronto (and elsewhere in NorthAmerica). Obtaining
legislative authority for the use of the 30 km/h speed limit does not commit the City to use this authority in any area or on
any particular street. A more complete analysis of traffic-calming in the former City of Toronto has been requested by the
Toronto Community Council and a report on this matter, including City-wide policy implications, will be submitted this
autumn. In the meantime, it seems prudent to initiate the legislative application to the Provincial authorities as soon as
practicable, so as not to miss the expiry date in June next year.
Contact Name and Telephone Number:
Mr. Andrew Macbeth,
Manager, Transportation Management,
392-1799.
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Appendix A
Streets with 30 kilometres per hour Speed Limits
StreetLocation
Balliol StreetFrom Mount Pleasant Road to Cleveland Street
Balmoral AvenueFrom Yonge Street to Avenue Road
Barton AvenueFrom Bathurst Street to Christie Street
Boon AvenueFrom St. Clair Avenue West to the former north City limit
Boulton AvenueFrom Dundas Street East to Queen Street East
Clinton StreetFrom College Street to Harbord Street
Cowan AvenueFrom King Street West to Springhurst Avenue
Earlscourt AvenueFrom St. Clair Avenue West to the former north City limit
Euclid AvenueFrom College Street to Bloor Street West
Farnham AvenueFrom Yonge Street to Avenue Road
Glengrove AvenueFrom Yonge Street to Avenue Road
Harvie AvenueFrom St. Clair Avenue West to the former north City limit
Huron StreetFrom Bloor Street West to Harbord Street
Logan AvenueFrom Gerrard Street East to the former north City limit
Nairn AvenueFrom St. Clair Avenue West to the former north City limit
River StreetFrom Spruce Street to Bayview Avenue Ramp
Springhurst AvenueFrom Dufferin Street to Jameson Street
Spruce StreetFrom Parliament Street to River Street
Wellington StreetFrom Bathurst Street to Niagara Street
Yarmouth AvenueFrom Christie Street to Shaw Street
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Ms. Rhona Swarbrick, Protect Established Neighbourhoods, appeared before the Urban Environment and Development
Committee in connection with the foregoing matter, and also filed a written brief with respect thereto.