- Bring awareness to traffic safety issues in your neighbourhood
- Reduce vehicle speeds
- Enhance the overall look and feel of the street
- Add some creativity and beauty to your neighbourhood
- Bring residents together to work on something fun and useful for your neighbourhood
Traffic calming
On this page:
- Steps to complete a traffic calming project
- Things to think about
- Traffic calming ideas
- Frequently asked questions
Whether you're walking, biking, taking transit or driving, safe streets make our neighbourhoods safe. Resident-led traffic calming projects can improve safety, slow traffic, add beauty and bring neighbours together.
Kitchener residents have already shown how traffic calming can benefit their neighbourhood. Here are a few ideas that you can adapt for your neighbourhood:
- Painted crosswalks
- Roadway painting, like intersection murals
- Planter boxes on the boulevard
- Neighbourhood lawn signs
- Temporary or "pop-up" measures
- Alternative uses of parking spaces
To help you get started on traffic calming projects in your neighbourhood, we put together a guide.
You may have seen other traffic calming measures in Kitchener, like speed humps, roadway narrowings or raised crosswalks. These measures require formal traffic studies and are led by city council and city staff. Read more about the city's traffic calming policies.
In contrast, the traffic calming projects that qualify for this program can be led by residents at any time of year, without formal traffic studies.
Steps to complete a traffic calming project
Generate ideas and support
1. Meet with city staff
We will meet with you, in your neighbourhood, and discuss how city staff can make it easy for you to get started. We'll also discuss:
- Your goals for this project
- Your current idea and proposed location
- Safety guidelines and road legislation that might impact your project
- Costs and funding opportunities
2. Talk to your neighbours
Discuss possible ideas for specific street(s) with your neighbours. Involve as many people as you can because you'll need their support later on.
3. Gather community support
You may be able to get help with recruiting volunteers, securing financial support and more by involving your ward councillor, neighbourhood association, schools, faith communities, businesses or other organizations.
Create a design
4. Draft a design and share with staff
Based on what you've heard from your neighbours, draft a design - or two! Rough drawings or sketches are okay. City staff will provide feedback on safety and accessibility.
5. Finalize your design
Create a final design, in colour, with enough detail such as approximate measurements, to make your ideas clear and easy to understand.
6. Confirm neighbourhood support
Share the final design and collect signatures of support from your neighbours. Staff will provide a form and explain how many residents need to sign it, depending on your street and project.
Make it happen
7. Get things ready
Create a list of things that need to be done leading up to installation day, such as purchasing materials, recruiting volunteers or securing funding. Staff will help with all of this!
8. Plan your installation
Sketch out a written and visual description of what will happen on the street for the day of your installation and provide it to staff, so they can arrange a road closure permit.
9. Install and celebrate!
In advance, send everyone involved an update on how things will proceed on installation day. Then make it happen! This is an exciting day. Celebrate with food or music and invite the whole neighbourhood. Have fun!
Things to think about
Tips and tricks
A few tips to consider:
- Remember, your neighbours will want to see your design and discuss how it will look, so be prepared to chat.
- If it's difficult to get in touch with your neighbours, leave a copy of your design in their mailbox with a note that outlines your plan and how to reach you.
- Some traffic calming measures may need to be seasonal or require maintenance by the community. City staff will advise you, if needed.
- If you're hiring a contractor to install your project, you may need a drawing made to scale. City staff can help with this.
- Some streets are managed by the Region of Waterloo and may not qualify for this program. Staff will let you know.
- Don't forget to schedule a rain date for your installation day, just in case.
- Remember to take pictures and share on social media with #lovemyhood!
Safety first
- Remember to think about how your design can improve safety and accessibility for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, transit users and motor vehicles.
- Don't forget to have a first aid kit available on the day of your event.
- Plan for the weather on installation day.
Want more ideas?
Here are a few sources of unique ideas happening in other cities.
- Project for Public Spaces
- City of Halifax
- Design of Public Spaces Standards describes the accessibility requirements for outdoor public areas.
- "How to build a better block" includes open source ideas and designs.
- Try Pinterest!
What are the benefits of traffic calming?
Costs vary depending on your street and the specific idea. Here's an approximate price range of the most common projects:
Road painting:
- Thermoplast - $15,000 (life span of 7-10 years)
- Asphalt paint - $1,000 (life span of 1-3 years)
- Planter boxes - $50 - $500 per box
- Lawn signs - $5 - $100 per sign
To help you pay for your project, funding may be available through the LoveMyHood Matching Grant, or a number of other sources.
Overall, the entire project will take around three to six months.
You'll need to inform 100 per cent of your neighbours about this project, and collect signatures of support from 50 per cent +1 of neighbours directly adjacent, and 60 per cent of neighbours within a block (or up to 100 meters). City staff will explain these requirements at your first meeting.
Keep in mind, the best times for installation are April to October.
Also, previously scheduled road maintenance may delay your project. Be sure to share your planned installation date with city staff in advance.
Your role
- Reach out to your neighbours to get others involved and gather their support.
- Come up with a fun and creative design that the neighbourhood supports.
- Determine how you'll pay for the project and complete grant applications or fundraise.
- Purchase supplies and install your traffic calming idea. This could include recruiting volunteers or hiring artists or contractors.
- Be responsible for any maintenance, if needed.
- Celebrate with a party! Inspire others by sharing pictures on social media, using #lovemyhood.
The City's role
- Clarify which neighbours need to be contacted, depending on the details of your project.
- Ensure the design is safe and accessible.
- Help you access city grants that your project may qualify for, and provide some tips for fundraising.
- Provide contact information of companies that provide approved equipment or supplies for street use.
- Notify you if your project has suffered any damage or vandalism.
- Tell other residents about your project and encourage them to go check it out!
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