Why does the new design include sidewalks and traffic calming features?
The traffic calming features being used on this project were developed to meet the requirements of the Road Safety Action Plan and help reduce traffic speeds to 30km/hr. By removing some of the planned features, the effectiveness of all the features combined are ultimately reduced. Increasing spacing between features allows vehicles to reach higher speeds, reducing our ability to be in compliance with the Road Safety Action Plan.
When a road is renewed, the project is treated as an opportunity (and obligation) to modernize the street, so it is safer and more accessible for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and drivers. That means adding missing pedestrian infrastructure (like sidewalks), improving crossings, and incorporating traffic calming measures to manage vehicle speeds.
These elements are aligned with many Council-approved policies, such as:
- Ottawa’ Accessibility Policy
- Ottawa’s Official Plan
- Ottawa’s Complete Streets Policy
- Ottawa’s Traffic Calming Design Guidelines
- Ottawa’s Road Safety Action Plan, which includes the Local Residential Streets 30 km/h Design Toolbox
These polices apply to every street and every ward across the City.
There are going to be too many traffic calming measures and signs. Can City staff reduce them?
No, City staff cannot reduce the number of traffic calming measures and/or signs. These measures are not being added arbitrarily, and they are not optional. The City has clear policies and design standards that require traffic safety improvements to be incorporated when a street is being renewed or reconstructed. When roads are renewed, the City must bring them up to current standard, including road safety, pedestrian accessibility and traffic management.
Signage and traffic calming measures are installed based on engineering standards and legal requirements. All signs being installed on this project are regulatory, and each serve a specific purpose. Our team has done a cursory review and there may be an option to combine some signs on one pole instead of two. Many signs are regulated by building code and regulations and are required for safety, accessibility and enforceability. Councillors cannot determine if and where signage is located; if all councillors did this, every ward would be different with different signs. Removing or reducing them without justification would mean the City is not meeting its own safety standards.
Why does the Ward Councillor not have the authority to remove the speed humps?
These speed humps and traffic calming features are part of the Road Safety Action Plan, a City policy that was enacted by City Council. Neither City Councillors, nor City staff have the ability to make plans that contradict City Policies. Contradictions to City policies need to be approved by City Council as whole. As exemplified through the Manor Park discussion, the majority of Councillors around the Council table are not supportive of exempting a specific street or neighbourhood from these policies. Councillors cannot direct staff to remove infrastructure that was approved by Council by way of a City-wide policy.
City Councillors can only determine locations for implementing (or removing) speed humps when it falls under the Temporary Traffic Calming (TTC) program, which is done with technical consultation with TTC program staff.
Can this project be delayed for a year?
No, the Summit Avenue project cannot be delayed any further. This project was already postponed when the August 2023 flooding required the Delmar/Playfair project to be advanced instead. At this point a contractor has been hired and they have begun work. Stopping work now would come with an unreasonable cost that is not an option at this point.
Manor Park residents were able to get a neighbourhood-level transportation assessment. Can Summit Avenue residents get one too?
The direction provided to staff through the motion Councillor King brought to the Public Works and Infrastructure meeting in March (moved by Councillor Kitts) is specific to the Manor Park community, and the requested neighbourhood study applies only to that area. It does not create a broader opportunity for other neighbourhoods across Ottawa to revisit, pause or reopen approved infrastructure projects. The rationale behind this motion included the fact that Hemlock Road, a key Manor Park thoroughfare, will reconnect to the new subdivision of Wateridge Village as well as concerns regarding the new proposed Federal Kettle Island bridge impacts.
Manor Park residents were able to get a neighbourhood-level transportation assessment. Can Summit Avenue residents get one too?
The direction provided to staff through the motion Councillor King brought to the Public Works and Infrastructure meeting in March (moved by Councillor Kitts) is specific to the Manor Park community, and the requested neighbourhood study applies only to that area. It does not create a broader opportunity for other neighbourhoods across Ottawa to revisit, pause or reopen approved infrastructure projects. The rationale behind this motion included the fact that Hemlock Road, a key Manor Park thoroughfare, will reconnect to the new subdivision of Wateridge Village as well as concerns regarding the new proposed Federal Kettle Island bridge impacts. The meeting minutes, including the motion, can be viewed on the City’s website.