KITCHENER — Slower speed limits could be coming soon to a neighbourhood near you.

Staff from the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo will be studying the idea of lowering the default speed limit on residential streets from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. The default limit is the maximum speed where there are no signs posted, and usually applies on quieter residential streets.

Speeding, especially in residential areas, "is probably the single biggest issue that most members of council heard about on the campaign trail," said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

The science makes it clear that lower speeds mean fewer pedestrian deaths, Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky said.

Ontario's chief coroner recommended the province cut the default speed limit to 40 km/h in 2012, noting pedestrians struck by a car at 50 km/h are twice as likely to die as those hit at 40 km/h.

A provincial law that took effect this spring gives cities the power to lower speeds for entire neighbourhoods. In both Kitchener and Waterloo, speed limits in school zones have been cut to 40 km/h. Cities such as Hamilton, Ottawa, Calgary and Saskatoon have looked at similar moves.

Lower speeds make particular sense in residential areas, where there are more likely to be children learning to ride their bikes and people out for a walk, Vrbanovic said.

If the study recommends testing lower speed limits in a pilot project, areas such as uptown Waterloo and uptown West, where residents regularly complain about drivers speeding through as a shortcut, might be good candidates, Jaworsky said.

Waterloo approved a new neighbourhood strategy last year that aims to make neighbourhoods more welcoming. "Traffic in your neighbourhood is a big part of that," Jaworksy said. "We want people to be driving slow and to feel their neighbourhoods are safe."

As cities get more dense and encourage more people to walk and cycle, cities have to rethink their approach to traffic, Vrbanovic believes.

"To be frank, I think as time goes on and we're encouraging more and more people to walk and to cycle and so on, we need to rethink the way we handle traffic flow throughout our cities, and look at ways to find that balance between pedestrians, cyclists and others, along with vehicles. That hasn't been the traditional way historically we've looked at these things."

Traffic engineers say lowering the speed limit isn't enough to actually get people to slow down. Road design and enforcement are key — people slow down on narrower roads or when they fear getting a speeding ticket.

But rebuilding streets and stepped-up enforcement are both expensive, Jaworsky noted. Both cities have "complete streets" policies, where new streets and roads being rebuilt are redesigned to provide more room for both cyclists and walkers. But in the meantime, lowering speed limits could slow at least some drivers, and it increases awareness.

The review is on the work plan for city staff for 2019, and Vrbanovic said he expects a decision sometime in 2019.

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