Efforts at slowing traffic on certain streets in Greater Sudbury have had mixed results, city councillors were told this week, both in terms of the impact on speeds and the public's reception.
Speaking at Monday's operations committee meeting, Infrastructure GM Tony Cecutti said in one case, traffic calming, as it's formally known, worked a little too well.
On Southview Drive, the revamped road forces motorists to drive slower than the speed limit. That's because the speed table – basically a wide speed hump – the city installed was too high.
“Some motorists were honking their horns because they had to slow down so much,” Cecutti said.
The average speed on the road dropped from 51 km/h in 2013 to 28 km/h in 2014. The speed limit on the road is 50 km/h.
Traffic calming is intended to moderate speeds, as they have done on other roads such as a section of Attlee Avenue (average speeds dropped from 50 km/h to 46 km/h) and Errington Avenue (from 55 to 51).
Another impact of traffic calming is fewer cars choosing to take the affected road. On Southview, traffic volume dropped from 13,264 vehicles to 9,597, while on Attlee it dropped from 5,278 to 4,026.
But the measures are not always popular, which is why, Cecutti said, residents who live on the road are asked whether they support traffic calming for their street.
That prompted Ward 9 Coun. Deb McIntosh to question the wisdom of that policy. In certain circumstances – say, traffic calming near a school – she said safety concerns may outweigh popular opinion.
But Cecutti said there's more demand for traffic calming than there are dollars – the city sets aside about $165,000 each year.
“Traffic calming itself is one of the most controversial things a community can do,” he said. “There's so many different approaches you can use.”
As a rule, drivers want no calming, while residents often just want stop signs. So when a roadway qualifies for calming under the city's guidelines, streets that support the measures get first priority.
“That's basically why the policy is what it is today,” he said, adding, “Staff has struggled with this. Sometimes the greater good for the community doesn't get realized ... You are going to face controversy no matter what direction you go.”
But he said attitudes are changing in the last few years, as residents become more familiar with the process and its effects.
“You can have traffic calming, you can have a safer street and not disrupt traffic flow,” he said. “But when it was new, people were more likely to vote against them. (Now) we know a lot more about it, and we know how to communicate better.”
With the $165,000 budget, the city should be able to do one major project in 2016, or two smaller ones.
Streets where residents voted against traffic calming include: Jean Street from Frood Road to Eva Street; King Street from Notre Dame Avenue to Morin Avenue; Ontario Street from Regent Street to Douglas Street; and, Robinson Drive from Kelly Lake Road to Southview Drive.
Under city policy, those roads will not be reconsidered for traffic calming for two years. There are currently 29 streets deemed eligible for traffic calming. City staff will now survey residents on those roads to determine which have public support.
For a full list of the roads under consideration, you can click here.