The speed limits are dropping in several neighbourhoods throughout Greater Sudbury, including one in each of the city’s 12 wards.
The city released their list of affected neighbourhoods during this week’s operations committee meeting, with each to see their general speed limit drop to 40 km/h from their current 50 km/h. School zone speed limits will drop from 40 km/h to 30 km/h.
Signs have already started going up throughout Greater Sudbury, though they will remain covered with bags until associated bylaws are passed, which is expected to take place in July.
Monday’s unanimous support from the six city councillors who attended Monday’s operations committee meeting makes it likely their decision will be ratified by city council as a whole.
The gateway speed limit signs are installed at the entrances and exits to neighbourhoods, and display speed limits which apply throughout.
Using last year’s pilot program location in Ward 8 as an example, signs were installed at the entranceways and exits to all streets enclosed within Barrydowne Road, LaSalle Boulevard, Falconbridge Road and The Kingsway.
Signs indicate a speed limit of 40 km/h “begins” at the entranceways to each neighbourhood, and “ends” is visible to motorists as they exit. The signs also feature the French language.
City council approved expanding the gateway speed limits program to include all 12 wards during 2023 budget deliberations, at a cost of $71,500, plus an annual sign maintenance budget of $6,500.
This, despite last year’s pilot project in Ward 8 having little impact on motorists’ speeds.
City staff recorded 85th percentile speeds both before and after the signs were installed, and found little change. On Auger Avenue, vehicles sped up by two km/h to 56 km/h after the signs were installed, they slowed by 5 km/h on Churchill Avenue, slowed by 3 km/h on Gemmell Street, and sped up by 3 km/h on Hawthorne Avenue.
“Additional measures are required to have a lasting impact on operating speeds,” city traffic and transportation engineering analyst Ryan Purdy reported.
“We’ve just had preliminary discussions with Greater Sudbury Police,” Purdy told the committee. “The hope is that this is something we can target in the fall, particularly after schools reopen.”
Gateway speed limit signs are being installed within the neighbourhoods enclosed by the following streets. City staff worked with each ward councillor to select the affected areas. As with the pilot program, staff are studying traffic speeds to determine whether the gateway speed limit signs have had an impact.
Below are the impacted areas. The following are the roads that enclose each affected neighbourhood. In the first item listed, for example, Barrydowne Road, LaSalle Boulevard, Falconbridge Road and The Kingsway are not included, but all of the roads enclosed within will be affected.
- Barrydowne Road, LaSalle Boulevard, Falconbridge Road and The Kingsway
- Lorne Street, Regent Street, Long Lake Road from Regent Street to St. Charles Lake Road
- Municipal Road 55 from Hillcrest Drive to Westview Crescent, Mikkola Road North of Bonnie Drive
- Highway 144 From Michael Street to Errington Avenue, Errington Avenue from Highway 144 to 523 meters south of Mainville Street
- South of Municipal Road 35 (Notre Dame Avenue East to Notre Dame Avenue West)
- Municipal Road 80 From Main Street to MacKenzie Street, Main Street from Municipal Road 80 to Marie Avenue
- Municipal Road 80 from Dominion Drive to Frost Avenue, Dominion Drive West of Frost Avenue
- Falconbridge Road from Spruce Street to Margaret Street
- Regent Street, Algonquin Road at Remington, Countryside Drive at Countryside Drive
- Paris Street, Brady Street, Douglas Street, Regent Street
- Barrydowne Road from Westmount Avenue to Hawthorne Avenue, Lasalle Boulevard Attlee Avenue to Arthur Street
- Barrydowne Road from Lasalle Boulevard to Lillian Boulevard, Lasalle Boulevard from Barrydowne Road to Drummond Avenue
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
