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 80%
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 |