Resident-led traffic calming program gets the green light
Posted May 30, 2017 04:44:11 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Slowing down traffic on your street is about to get a lot easier.
Kitchener City Council has given the green light to a new strategy meant to reduce red tape and make it easier for residents to take action in their neighbourhoods.
From painted crosswalks to planter boxes to lawn signs — the new resident-led traffic calming program approved by city councillors on Monday gives you the power to design and implement a range of speed-reduction measures where you live.
Manager of Transportation Planning Barry Cronkite says it’ll complement the city’s existing traffic reviews.
“It’s not intended to replace it. Instead it’s intended to get residents involved in creative place-making… that can happen any time of the year,” says Cronkite. “They need to circulate everyone within the project limits [and] get 50 per cent of the people to buy in. Once they have that type of support, they can work with city hall and work with one individual staff person that will guide them along the way.”
Cronkite says there are currently over 175 streets on the waiting list for a formal traffic review, which could mean months before residents with concerns about traffic speeds or pedestrian safety in their neighbourhood see any relief. But that’ll all change.
“Depending on the initiative it could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months,” he says. “It really comes down to the design that they’re looking at and what it is they want to install.”
The program will be ratified by council on Monday June 5.
