foreword - City of Pickering

City of Pickering January 2003
Traffic Calming Policy
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1.0 POLICY STATEMENT
The purpose of this policy is to provide an established process to fairly screen all neighbourhood
requests for the installation of traffic calming measures. The policy has been developed so that
traffic calming measures can be used, where deemed appropriate, to improve safety on a street
and/or to restore the streets intended function.
2.0 INTRODUCTION
Traffic calming is the installation of mainly physical modifications to a roadway for the purpose
of reducing the negative effects of motor vehicle use. These effects are almost always associated
with excessive vehicle speed and the impacts of cut through traffic in a neighbourhood. A
successful traffic calming program is one, which will alter the street in such a way, that motorists
will drive slower and exercise additional caution.
In order to achieve this objective, traffic calming usually involves the installation of a
combination of the following roadway design characteristics or features:
changes to the vertical and/or horizontal alignment of the roadway;
changes to the traveled portion of the roadway through pavement and/or lane narrowings;
changes to the roadways surface texture and/or colour; and
installing visual treatments that may include entrance gateways, trees and/or ground
cover.
This Traffic Calming Policy and Procedure has been developed based on the experience gained
through the successful implementation, monitoring and evaluation of a number of Traffic
Calming Pilot Projects installed on City Streets since 1996. Traffic Calming is regarded as an
important and effective tool to effectively manage the speed and volume of traffic on streets
where deemed appropriate.
3.0 SCOPE
Since traffic calming measures should not be applied to all types of roadways, for a variety of
operating reasons, specific installation criteria as developed in this policy must always be met
and adhered to. Traffic calming designs will be limited to installation on Local, Collector and
residential Type ‘C” Arterial streets and must always receive approval from the “Safer Streets
Traffic Calming Review Committee” before being recommended to City Council for installation.
This Committee will be tasked with guiding the review, design, development and
recommendation of all traffic calming requests.
4.0 IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
The implementation process for traffic calming will be followed in accordance with the
“Flowchart” provided in this policy as Figure 1. The flowchart details the procedure by which
each request for traffic calming will be evaluated on a first-come first-served basis and will be
subject initially to traffic studies and minimum justification criteria. If the minimum criteria has