Lower speed limits coming soon to Waterloo Region roads

Over the past couple months, city councils across Waterloo Region approved the lowering of speed limits on collector roads, residential streets and school zones.

Installing the new speed limit signs was scheduled for the spring, and now the implementation process is set to finally begin.

40 km/h will be the limit on hundreds of residential streets in Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. They also have lowered speeds in school zones to 30 km/h.

Staff Sergeant Scott Griffiths with Waterloo Regional Police Traffic Services told the Mike Farwell Show that the City of Cambridge conducted traffic studies in certain areas where the trialled reduced speeds, and they were able to determine that there was a change in behaviour of drivers on those areas.

“Whenever we lower the speed limits, we’re trying to mitigate risk,” said Griffiths. “We have traffic studies that show that pedestrian fatalities drop when the speeds are lowered.”

Chief of Police Mark Crowell was also on the Mike Farwell show for his monthly “Ask the Chief” segment, and he said that although this is ultimately a council decision, the police are a factor.

“As a police service, we have a role in some of the planning and some of the enforcement,” said Crowell. “We need to work with our partners across municipalities in the region and beyond to find solutions for everybody, and that includes a potential for expansion of automated speed enforcement, which is just one element of smart roadways and finding ways to allow everyone to navigate effectively.”

Crowell added that with the population growing in Waterloo Region, roadways will only get more dense, making traffic an even more complex issue. Griffiths mentioned that there will always be people who don’t disobey the speed limit, and with police unable to be everywhere all the time, automated speed enforcement could be a solution. Discussions have ramped up about that technology, and Griffiths said they are trying to be as preventative as they can.

“We’re trying to reduce harm in those community areas with a lot of pedestrians, a lot of cyclists, a lot of motor vehicles. As the speed goes up, the chances for serious injury and fatality go up as well.”

After all, speeding is one of the “fatal four”. Meaning it is typically a contributing factor to fatal collisions. Implementing the speed limit signs will continue this Spring in an effort to maximize the safety and efficiency of travel in Waterloo Region.