Attachment 1
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Approved
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Section
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Effective
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Revision
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policy
statement This
Policy establishes appropriate speed limits for Urban and Rural Roads and
establishes school speed zones through a community engagement process. |
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purpose This Policy serves to:
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application All City Urban and Rural
Roads. |
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policy requirements 1. Establishing Speed Limits on Roadways The
criteria for determining speed limits are based upon finding a safe and
reasonable speed limit for existing conditions. The safe speed limit depends upon the number and type of
hazards or conflicts that the driver may encounter at any one time. A road study will determine the appropriate speed
limit and should consider the speed characteristics of the users of the road,
the design speed, the number of intersecting streets on the section of the
road under consideration, and the length of the speed zone. For many roads, a speed spot study, also known as a
minimum study may be sufficient to determine the appropriate speed limit. a)
The minimum study
should also include a determination of: (i) the speed for which the roadway is designed (ii) the average distance between intersections (iii)
the length of the road section which is under study and which is
representative of the characteristics of item b (ii). Consideration of these factors may, in some cases,
be sufficient to establish an appropriate speed limit on a road section;
however, a more detailed study may be warranted under certain circumstances. A detailed speed study also known as a traffic
engineering study may be required to determine the speed limit where unusual
roadway or land use characteristics suggest that the speed limit, as
determined from the minimum study, seems inappropriate. In this situation, the following processes
are in effect: b)
The traffic
engineering study should consist, in part, of determining: (i) the existing speed limit (ii) the 85th percentile speed (iii) the pace speed range containing the
largest percentage of vehicles in a survey of spot speeds. Under no circumstances should the speed limit over
a section of road exceed the limit for which the road is designed. Although roads that have isolated curves
may have a lower speed limit than that of the major part of the road being
evaluated. In these cases, curve
warning and advisory speed signs will be posted in accordance with the
standards contained in the Ontario Traffic Manual. The design speed on a roadway is based on the sight
distance limitations imposed on vertical curves (hills) and horizontal curves
that are the determinants of the safe stopping distances. Intersection spacing on an arterial
roadway is a major element in the operation of a roadway but not a
determinant in establishing the design speed of a road. In establishing a speed limit,
intersection spacing should be recognized in relation to the length of the
speed zone under consideration. Additional elements that can be considered in a
traffic engineering study of speed zoning for a road section include:
Since
the speed characteristics of a road section, as determined from spot surveys
of vehicle speeds, are indicative of drivers’ behaviour influenced by the
frequency of driveways, pedestrian activity, etc., there is no rationale for
applying adjustment factors to any of
the speed characteristic elements. There
is however, a basis for applying an adjustment factor to a speed limit as
determined by the design speed of the roadway and modified by the
consideration of the number of intersecting streets in relation to the length
of the speed zone. This method should
be applied to newly constructed roads. For
this purpose, empirical relationships and adjustment factors have been
established to attempt to give some relative weight to each element and show
the numerical influence each separate element might reasonably have on the
establishment of a speed limit. The
factors are set out in Tables A-1 to A-12 inclusive in Appendix
A. The method to establish speed
limits is found in Appendix B. The
following guideline will be used to determine the speed limit for each class
of roadway within the City, as defined in the Transportation Master Plan: a. Local Roads – 40 km/h Speed Limit
Within a
residential neighbourhood, the request to change the speed limit will affect
all residents of the street and therefore, it is important to determine if
there is a consensus among residents. To ensure a fair and equitable response to the
numerous speed related inquires received by the Department of Public Works
within residential communities, on local streets or minor neighbourhood
collectors, any review of a speed limit will be based not on individual
requests, but rather by petition proving consensus that 75% of residents
support a change in the speed limit on the roadway in question. Where this
consensus is achieved, the speed limit will be lowered to 40 km/h. b. Collector Roads – 40
km/h Speed Limit The residential 40 km/h speed limit warrant shall
be used to determine if 40 km/h is an appropriate speed limit for the
collector roadway. The criteria used
to evaluate the warrant are shown in Appendix C; the 40 km/h residential
warrant inventory form is shown in Appendix D; and the 40 km/h residential
warrant analysis form is shown in Appendix E. c. Major Collector and Arterial Roads To determine the appropriate speed limit on a major
collector and arterial road, the 85th percentile operating speed
will be used as a basis for evaluation. The
flow chart in Appendix E illustrates the process City staff follow to review
a speed limit related inquiry and the timelines associated with these
reviews. Setting Speed Limits on Rural Roadways Other than
Arterials
The review of speed limits on rural paved roads
will be based on the summary tables found in Appendix A to determine the
appropriate speed limit on any given roadway and take into consideration, but
are not limited to, the 85th percentile speed, pavement width,
shoulder width and degree of pedestrian activity, community and police input
in recommending an appropriate and safe speed limit. The speed limit on gravel roadways will be reviewed
on a case-by-case basis. Should there
be a sufficient number of vehicles (typically a minimum of 30 vehicles per
direction within a two-hour time period), a spot speed survey will be
undertaken to confirm the average speed and the 85th percentile
speed of traffic to provide a good starting point and assess the speed limit
level. In addition to the speed
survey, a thorough review of warning and regulatory signing will be
undertaken. 2. School Speed Zones The School Speed Zone
program is applicable to elementary, middle and high schools and consists of
warning signs, a reduced speed limit and in some instances, flashing beacons.
. The Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) prepared the “School
and Playground Areas and Zones: Guidelines for Application and
Implementation” in October, 2006and these guidelines will be used to
determine if a school zone is to be installed. In
some instances, there are other mitigating factors present that are not
contemplated by the TAC guidelines.
These are taken into account on a case-by-case basis, in consultation
with each school principal, parent advisory council and student
representatives. At
schools located on rural arterial roadways and locations meeting the warrants
for the school speed zones will be supplemented with flashing beacons to
provide higher visibility on these high speed roadways. As well, for any roadway, the reduction of
the speed limitwithin a school speed zone, will never be greater than 20
km/h, in accordance with the Highway Traffic Act. Accordingly,
the operation of reduced school speed zones will be on school days, between
the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. In rural areas, the time of the reduced
speed limit will be determined in consultation with the school
principal. Appendix F provides
information and the guidelines to establish school zones and areas. |
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responsibilities City
Staff are to use this Policy to establish speed limits and school speed zones
on City of Ottawa roadways. |
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monitoring/contraventions N/A |
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references Speed
Zoning Engineering Technical Research Report for Rural and Urban Roads in the
City of Ottawa, August 2009 School
and Playground Areas and Zones: Guidelines for Application and
Implementation, Transportation Association of Canada, October 2006 Ontario
Traffic Manual Series US
Document- FHAW |
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legislative and administrative authorities Highway Traffic Act 40
km/h Residential Warrant Report, Approved by City of Ottawa Council, October
2003 City
of Ottawa Speed Zoning Report October 2009 |
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definitions Adjustment Factors – established
to give relative weight to each element (number of intersections, pavement
width, pedestrian activity, etc.) and show the numerical influence each
separate element might reasonably have on the establishment of a speed limit. Advisory Speed Limit – the maximum safe
speed that is posted below a warning sign.
In most jurisdictions, the advisory speeds are not legally
enforceable, but in some courts violation of the advisory speeds is admissible
as evidence that the driver was operating in a reckless manner. Average Overall Speed – the average of the
overall speeds of all vehicles on a given roadway during a specified period
of time. Design Speed – Is the safe speed at
which a road can be negotiated. A
speed selected for the purposes of design and correlation of the geometric
features of a road. 85th Percentile Speed –speed at or below
which 85 percent of vehicles travel. Operating Speed –highest overall speed exclusive of stops at which a driver can
travel on a given highway under prevailing conditions without, at any time,
exceeding the design speed. Spot Speed – the speed of a vehicle as it passes a
spot or point on a street or highway. |
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keyword search Speed Limit Residential warrant School speed zone 85th
percentile speed |
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enquiries For more information on
this Policy, contact: Program Manager, Traffic,
Engineering & Technical Service Unit, Doug Bowron, 613-580-2424
x.13926 |
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appendices Appendix A: Factors to Establish Speed Limits Appendix B: Method to
Establish Speed Limits Appendix C: 40 km/h Residential Warrant Appendix D: 40 km/h
Residential Warrant Inventory Form and Warrant Analysis Form Appendix
E: Process to Review Speed Limits and
General Timelines to Implement Appendix
F: Information on establishing school zones and areas |