TRAFFIC CALMING IN CANADA

The objective of this paper is to share the Canadian experience with respect to the current status and future direction of neighbourhood traffic calming. Until recently there has been little consistency across Canada in the understanding, planning, design and implementation of traffic calming measures and plans. This is due, in part, to a combination of factors including the relatively recent introduction to traffic calming, varying climatic conditions, range of practitioner experience and level of public acceptance. This will hopefully change with the recent publication of the Canadian Guide to Neighbourhood Traffic Calming (December, 1998). The author of this paper was the co-author of the Guide. This project (the Guide) was a joint effort of the Transportation Association of Canada and the Canadian Institute of Transportation Engineers. The goal was to develop guidelines to assist practitioners in the planning, design and implementation of traffic calming measures, and to bring a level of standardization to their application. Related issues of liability, safety, streetscaping and landscaping were also addressed. Traffic calming experiences from outside Canada were considered. European, Australian and American practices and designs were evaluated and adapted, where appropriate. Traffic calming in Canada can no longer be viewed and evaluated solely as a means of slowing or diverting traffic. There is a wide range of issues that need to be acknowledged and addressed to ensure that traffic calming is technically effective while also being acceptable to both the community and the road authority. This paper provides an overview of traffic calming. It identifies some of the fundamental principles and factors to consider in developing a traffic calming plan. It outlines the applicability and implication of various traffic calming measures and it provides general design considerations. It concludes with a summary of the key issues that need to be addressed on an ongoing basis.