Speed limits around residences can be an emotional topic for the individuals living in that area and the drivers who use those roadways. People tend to want lower speed limits where they live and higher limits where they regularly drive.
All municipalities, including Quinte West, use federal and provincial standards to design roads and determine speed limits on all streets where people drive, bike and walk. We look at road geometry, conditions, location, data on traffic and accidents, and much more to set safe and logical speeds.
There are times when people in the community feel strongly that a speed limit is too high or too low. This is why we have the speed limit review process. It gives residents and drivers the chance to provide us with feedback and the municipality the opportunity to conduct a traffic study. For traffic studies, we work closely with the OPP to look at data on accidents and their causes and the volume of daily two-way traffic.
When we make the final decision about a speed limit review, we consider data from all these sources. This means that even if residents along a roadway overwhelmingly feel the speed limit should be lowered, it still might not happen. We might use other best practices for traffic calming, such as additional stop signs and center medians, or if there isn’t relevant accident data and proper procedures are already in place, there might not be any changes.
We know this can feel frustrating; however, we strive to make evidence-based decisions that keep the safety of all road users as a top priority while allowing for appropriate speeds on any given roadway. For transparency, moving forward we will post a summary of the resident survey results and the factors that went into making our final decision.