Road Safety

Traffic Calming

The City of Cambridge receives numberous complaints or concerns from residents every year regarding speeding, traffic volumes and/or cut through traffic in residential areas. The Transportation & Engineering Services division responds by investigating the need for traffic calming measures to restore the street back to its intended function in the neighbourhood.

Often times residents request interventions that are not traffic calming devices such as: traffic signals, all-way stops, or reduced speed limits. Using the wrong tools to address a traffic issue not only doesn't solve the problem, but may create additional safety issues. Examples of traffic calming devices include: on-street parking, speed cushions, curb extensions and raised intersections and crosswalks.

Often times after a traffic investigation is completed, the complaints or concerns do not represent the behaviour of the majority of road users and therefore do not qualify for traffic calming interventions. In these cases residents may apply for projects to slow down or beautify their streets through the Keep Calm: Resident-led Neighbourhood Improvements program.

Where's Tommy & Friends?

Where’s Tommy & Friends?  Is an interactive speed management initiative that brings attention to “people” in the streets, reminding drivers to slow down and thanking those that do.

Just because a street does not qualify for things like speed humps doesn’t mean that everyone is driving the way we would like in our neighbourhood. Where’s Tommy & Friends? is perfect for some of the following scenarios to make drivers more aware of their surroundings.

• Accelerating cars: Where’s Tommy & Friends? makes the driver think twice before screaming around the corner.
• School Zones: When you want to add some additional attention to the road.
• Pedestrian areas: Bring the street back to the people where you feel cars are domination the space. 

How does it work?

1.  Residents call or write in to request Tommy or one of his friends visit their street for a couple weeks;
2. If multiple requests come in, a waiting list will be formed;
3. Tommy & Friends will be rotated between streets for 2 weeks at a time and updated on an interactive map

Where is the crew this week?

Keep Calm: Resident-led Neighbourhood Improvements

Looking for ways to make drivers slow down in your neighbourhood or add beauty to your streetscape? The Keep Calm program can help you do just that.

Keep Calm is a resident-led neighbourhood improvements program that encourages neighbours to get together and implement creative projects to slow down or beautify their neighbourhood streets. The program has three main objectives:

1. To slow traffic by bringing attention to the pedestrian environment;
2. To foster community and identity within neighbourhoods; and
3. To enhance the overall look and feel of neighbourhood streets.

Learn more below:

Keep Calm Guide for Residents

Keep Calm Application Form

 Pedestrian Crossovers

Pedestrian crossovers

where these rectangular black and white pedestrian signs are present pedestrians have the right of way, drivers are legally required to stop for the entire duration of the crossing

School crossings with guard

Crossing guards now control the whole crosswalk, drivers may not cross the crosswalk when the crossing guard has a stop sign on display even if their lane is open.  Pedestrians do not have the right-of-way when a crossing guard is not present and displaying a stop sign.

Drivers and cyclists who do not yield may be fined $150 to $500 and face three demerit points. Crossovers are identified by specific signs, road markings and lights.

The new law does not apply to pedestrian crosswalks at intersections with stop signs or traffic signals, unless a school crossing guard is present. Drivers, including cyclists, must obey all stop signs and traffic signals. Part of Making Ontario's Roads Safer Act, this new law also provides municipal road authorities with the ability to install new types of pedestrian crossovers on low speed, low volume roads in addition to the existing crossovers. It is up to both drivers and pedestrians to keep everyone safe on our roads.

Check out the Region of Waterloo's What you need to know about new pedestrian crossovers.