City Council Approves Traffic-Calming Measures and Infrastructure Projects

Council approved traffic-calming measures to replace automated speed enforcement cameras in school zones, and also passed a pumping station tender award and a development charge agreement. Much of the discussion focused on how to respond to the province's removal of automated speed enforcement while maintaining safety near schools. Staff said the city will focus on vertical deflection measures such as raised crosswalks and speed humps in 30 km/h school zones, and said the funded work must be completed by March 31, 2028.

Topics Discussed

• LAND USE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND WATER: In opening remarks, the mayor urged councillors to keep environmental impacts in mind during a meeting dealing with development and infrastructure. The mayor said, "As we enter into this conversation today, this council meeting that involves a lot of decisions about land use, how we build, how we support economic development in our community, I just wish us all to be mindful of the relationship that we have to nature and the dependence that we have on our watershed."

• AUTOMATED SPEED ENFORCEMENT REPLACEMENT PLAN: Council unanimously approved recommendations tied to the removal of automated speed enforcement cameras under provincial legislation. Staff said the replacement strategy is focused on school zones, where speed limits have already been reduced to 30 km/h. Staff said, "We're considering vertical deflection in school zones for a number of reasons. One, because automated speed enforcement is being removed. Two, because through the speed management program that council approved a number of years ago we've also reduced the speed limit in school zones to 30 kilometres an hour. So in light of the loss of automated speed enforcement and the fact that we've reduced speeds down to 30 kilometres an hour, we feel that vertical deflection, as being funded by the Province of Ontario, is the right way to go. As you mentioned, it's been a source of complaints in your area and we expect that the complaints will be driven accordingly if we don't take any measures in school zones. So school zones are the focus of this program. Outside of school zones, speeds remain on major collectors at 50 kilometres an hour and we don't feel that vertical deflection is appropriate in those zones."

• SCHOOL ZONE TRAFFIC MITIGATION: Council discussed a program covering four school-zone locations that will include raised crosswalks and speed bumps. During debate, Councillor Bodley said speeding complaints near St. Nicholas School on Laurwood Drive dropped after a camera was installed, saying "virtually all of my complaints around how fast cars were driving on that street disappeared." Staff said the city expects complaints to rise again without replacement measures and said the work is being coordinated with fire, transit and engineering staff.

• PROJECT COSTS AND FUNDING: Councillors asked about construction costs and funding sources for the school-zone work, including whether recent cost overruns on other traffic projects could affect delivery. Staff said current estimates are consistent with this year's pricing and said recent capital tenders have come in below estimates. Staff also outlined two funding streams discussed at the meeting: provincial funding for the school-zone work and future automated speed enforcement revenues, which remain uncertain because unpaid fines are still being collected.

• CENTRAL STREET BUS LAYBY DISCUSSION: Council also discussed a possible bus layby on Central Street, which is scheduled for resurfacing. Staff said, "With bus laybys, that's a reconstruction project. So my understanding is Central Street is up for resurfacing and we would have to talk to our engineering partners to figure out if a layby is possible. Laybys are interesting because they're a situation that is being requested typically by the school. We can take that information and take it back and work with our partners to see if that makes sense."

Motions

Passed unanimously: - Automated Speed Enforcement Removal and Traffic Calming Measures - Laurel Creek Sanitary Pumping Station — Tender Award - 85 Bridgeport Road East — Development Charge Section 27 Agreement

Attendees

• Councillor Bodley
• Councillor Rowe