Guide to Safer Streets Near Schools | 2016

Walking and biking are great for children’s health, are a fun way to get from place to place, and can even help students do better in school.  Unfortunately, while most parents walked to school when they were kids, not as many families are walking to school today. 

One of the reasons fewer kids are walking or biking is because families are worried about traffic danger. As communities, we can work with our Ward Councillors and City staff to make our neighbourhoods safer and help kids get the many health and social benefits of travelling actively to school.

Many cities around the world and here in Canada have been lowering speed limits, installing traffic calming, and improving intersections. These cities, including Toronto, are gaining the benefits of better health and safety, a cleaner environment, and a stronger local economy.

The Guide to Safer Streets Near Schools explains key steps that you, as a resident, can take to be better informed about traffic safety and how you can request street improvements in your neighbourhood.

If you live outside of Toronto, many of our suggestions and approaches will still be useful, but your municipality will have its own specific policies and practices around road safety.

By working closely with your neighbours, school community, Ward Councillor, City staff and other passionate individuals, you can help build a better city.

How to Get Started

	CONNECT WITH YOUR SCHOOL COUNCIL Get in touch with your School Council Chair and Principal. Talk to them about the Guide to Safer Streets Near Schools, and ask if it can be a topic at an upcoming meeting. Suggest creating a subcommittee that can focus on street safety, and plan a first meeting.
	WRITE YOUR VISION At your first meeting, talk about your vision for the neighbourhood. Use the worksheet from our Toolkit to think about what a safe neighbourhood means to you, and the key pieces that create it.
	DEFINE THE PROBLEM What are the traffic problems that are in the way of your vision? Our Toolkit worksheet asks you to think about the specific streets that have issues, and what those issues are. Is there no safe place to cross the street? Are cars travelling way too fast?
	KNOW YOUR ROAD CLASSIFICATION Find the classification of the streets you wish to improve. Streets in Toronto are classified as one of either local roadway, collector roadway, minor arterial roadway, or major arterial roadway (see our definitions of each of these). On the City of Toronto’s website, you can search for streets by name, map, or by ward to find out how they are classified.
	LEARN ABOUT THE PATHS AND INTERVENTIONS Compare the streets you identified on the worksheet to the potential paths that are available for street interventions in Toronto. Read about the steps of each path. You can choose a general path and start to think about which options may work well in your neighbourhood, but we recommend that you not focus too narrowly on any one idea if there are several options that can help achieve the same goal.
	CONNECT WITH YOUR WARD COUNCILLOR If you don't already know who your Ward Councillor is, use the City of Toronto's "Find your Councillor" website. Type in your address to find your ward name and number, along with the name of your Ward Councillor. It will take you to their profile and give you their phone number and email. Invite your Councillor to your next subcommittee or School Council meeting, and share with them the results of the worksheet you completed. You can use our Toolkit's sample template for reaching out to your Councillor. With their help, decide which of the interventions are possible and best suited to your neighbourhood. Find out if others have contacted them with similar concerns. Then you can begin to follow the specific steps for the path(s) and intervention(s) you have chosen. If you want to recruit more parents to help you move forward, you can fill in the sample outreach letter in our Toolkit and share it with your school community.

 What kind of street do I have?

The City of Toronto’s Road Classification System designates streets based on the service provided. Classification considers motor vehicle traffic volumes, the amount of public transit, and the needs of pedestrians and cyclists.  The road class determines the kind of safety interventions that are possible and the process that you will need to follow.

You can visit the City of Toronto’s website to search for a street by name, map, or ward and find out its type.

Potential Paths

Once you have identified your road class and defined the problem that you are hoping to fix (ie. traffic moving too quickly or an unsafe road crossing), you can begin to explore the possible solutions open to you:

Path 1: Speed Limit Policies

Path 2: Traffic Calming

Path 3: Intersections and Crossings

Use this flow chart to help you determine which path might be most appropriate for the class of road you are hoping to change:

Lowering vehicle speeds are one of various tools to improve road safety. Higher speeds increase the severity of crashes since drivers have less time to react.  In particular, pedestrian and cyclist fatalities increase as vehicle speed goes up.  

Research studies have found that higher speed leads to more collisions involving children, who are more often injured in pedestrian and cycling injuries and casualties.  Children are usually injured mid-block, often on residential streets, and in front of their home or a park. 

In Toronto, three approaches to lowering a speed limit are possible, depending on your road class:

1. Apply for a 30km/hr Speed Limit: for local and collector roads

30km/hr Speed Limit Policy Warrants

*The proposal must also not have significant impacts on transit service.

2. Seek a 40km/hr Speed Limit: for arterial roads or other roads with a current speed limit of 50km/hr or more

Lower speed limits are more effective when combined with enforcement and education. A comprehensive approach that includes local Police Services and other community groups is a good idea when making speed limit changes – we provide you with some education ideas in our Toolkit.  Also, keep in mind that lowering speed limits is only one of the tools available – depending on your street’s design, traffic calming interventions may be more appropriate and effective.

Photo Credit: Katie Wittmann

Traffic calming is the deliberate slowing of traffic in residential areas. Engineering changes to roadways such as adding speed humps, roundabouts, or narrowing lanes have been proven to slow traffic and reduce collisions. These improvements can be even more effective at improving road safety when combined with lower speed limits.

Traffic calming can take place on a single street, or across a larger neighbourhood. Begin by consulting with your Ward Councillor, who can help you with the early stages of this process, and whose support will be important to the success of any local traffic calming initiative.

The City of Toronto Traffic Calming Policy has a number of requirements that must be met. These include:

• Community consultation requirements through a community petition or a public meeting (hosted by your Councillor).
• Safety requirements such as the presence of sidewalks and impact on emergency vehicles.
• Technical requirements such as speed and volume of traffic, minimum block length, and impact on transit.

Safety and technical analysis are undertaken by City staff. Proposals that meet all the criteria are subject to polling conducted by the City Clerkʼs Office. The poll must have over 50% of affected households respond and at least 60% of households should be in favour.

To help you get started, we’ve created a list of Traditional Traffic Calming Treatments, as well as Other Safety Measures that can also be used to narrow the road and slow traffic speeds.

Traditional Traffic Calming Treatments:

Traffic calming can take a variety of forms. The most common type in Toronto are speed humps.  However, there are many other types of traffic calming that may be appropriate for your street. These include traffic circles, curb extensions, or other measures.

We recommend keeping an open mind. Councillors and City staff will have experience with a number of traffic calming solutions and can advise what will work best on certain streets. Here are a few examples of specific traffic calming treatments:

1. Speed Humps	2. Curb Extensions
Speed humps are used to slow cars to a speed of about 30km/h in their direct vicinity.	Curb extensions make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross the street by shortening the distance from curb to curb.
3. Chicanes	4. Raised Pedestrian Crossings or Intersections
Chicanes are a series of alternating midblock curb extensions that create extra turns along a road to slow traffic.	Raising a section of the roadway to the height of the sidewalk slows vehicles and makes it easier for pedestrians to cross the street.
5. Traffic Circles	6. Traffic Diversions
Traffic circles limit a driverʼs speed when passing through an intersection, and ensure safer turns.	A traffic diversion lowers the volume of cars by restricting motor vehicle access while allowing pedestrians and cyclists to travel through.
7. Median Islands
Median islands separate opposing directions of traffic, and can slow traffic by briefly narrowing the roadway.

Other Safety Measures

Other solutions that narrow the width of the road may also act to slow traffic. Some, such as bike lanes, can be placed on arterial roadways. Potential interventions include:

1. Bike lanes	2. Sidewalk
A designated space on the road for use by people on bicycles. It can be separated from motor vehicle traffic with paint, posts, or other materials.	A sidewalk provides dedicated space for pedestrians to separate them from motor vehicle traffic. Many local streets in Toronto do not have sidewalks.
3. Contra-flow bike lanes	4. Parklets
A bike lane added to a one-way street to allow cyclists to travel in the opposite direction to motor-vehicle traffic, creating a two-way route for cyclists.	Parking or travel lanes can be turned into miniature parks using planters, street furniture, or other materials.

The City of Toronto has also recently produced the Traffic Calming Guide For Toronto to provide an overview of different traffic calming measures, their impacts, and the processes to have them installed.

The majority of collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians or cyclists occur on high speed arterial streets and at intersections. Improving the safety of pedestrian crossings can help to reduce vehicle speeds, separate pedestrians and vehicles, and increase pedestrian visibility. On wider roads with heavier traffic flows or on streets where low speed limits are not feasible, the  focus should be on designing safe crossings.

Intersections with high traffic volumes or poor design can overstimulate drivers and make it difficult to notice pedestrians. A recent analysis of crash data in Toronto found that the majority of pedestrian collisions occurred at intersections, and usually the pedestrian had the right-of-way.

If the street you’ve identified for safety improvements is an arterial road, these are the types of solutions you likely will want to focus on.  You may want to:

Request a Pedestrian Crossing

Requests for crossings can be made through your Councillor or by calling 311. Infrastructure such as pedestrian crossovers, traffic signals, and stop signs are known as “traffic control devices.” Traffic control devices have engineering requirements that City staff will follow. Data that will likely be considered when a new crossing or traffic control is requested include traffic and pedestrian  volumes, pedestrian delay, and collisions.

Call 311 or speak to your Councillor to have them request that Transportation Services conduct a “Pedestrian Crossing Protection Study.” If the study is positive, it will be reported to Community Council. If the study is negative, council does not receive a report unless the Councillor requests one.

Several pedestrian crossing and traffic control device solutions exist. Some examples include:

1. Pedestrian Crossover	2. Signalized Intersection
A designated area where pedestrians can cross the street, often marked by flashing overhead lights.	Signals indicate when vehicles must stop or proceed, and when pedestrians should cross the street. Countdown timers and different signal phases can help improve safety at signalized
3. School Crossing	4. Pedestrian Refuge Island
Marked by a double crosswalk line. Requires a student patroller or adult crossing guard. See our Toolkit for details about crossing guards and student patrollers.	A combination of raised curbs, bollards, plantings, or other features to protect pedestrians at the midway mark of crossing the street.

Introduce an All-Way Stop

An all-way stop uses stop signs in all directions to control traffic.  Often, a school crossing, pedestrian crossover, or traffic control signal can be used instead of stop signs. However, installing stop signs has been shown to improve safety in some instances.

Introducing an all-way stop is subject to a number of ‘warrants,’ or criteria, including:

• Collisions: average number of collisions per year
• Volumes: number of pedestrian and vehicles using the intersection in each direction
• A number of others that City staff will consider.  View the policy for a complete list.

Improve an Existing Crossing

There may be an existing intersection or pedestrian crossing that your community has safety concerns about.  Rather than installing a new crossing or traffic control device, existing crosswalks or intersections can be  improved.

At pedestrian crossing locations:

• Raised pedestrian crossings and curb extensions can provide safety benefits but are often only possible on local or collector roadways
• Raised medians or pedestrian refuge islands may be possible on arterial roads
• A roundabout can reconfigure an existing intersection for improved safety

At existing signalized intersections:

• The phasing of the signals can be changed to give pedestrians an advanced start to cross the street
• Signals can also allow for separate phases for pedestrian crossings and vehicle left turns
• Turn restrictions for vehicles can also help improve pedestrian safety at these locations

At intersections and crossings:

• Pavement markings, such as advanced stop lines, new signage or lighting can improve safety inexpensively
• Visibility can be improved by removing vegetation or street parking

If existing infrastructure is wearing out, such as faded pavement markings or broken light fixtures, a simple call to 311 or to your Ward Councillor should resolve the problem.

The process is different depending on how you want to improve an existing pedestrian crossing.  Contacting your Ward Councillor will  be important to successfully  implement these kinds of changes,  many of which require a study by  Transportation Services.  See our Getting Started page for tips on connecting with your Councillor.

To support you in your efforts to create safer streets in your neighbourhood, we have collected research and data from around the world about the best safety practices.

Why lower speeds

• Encouraging walking and biking for transportation is one important way to address the low levels of physical activity among Canadaʼs youth. There is a strong association between active travel to school and levels of physical activity (1).
• Improving conditions for walking and biking can have a positive impact on local economies and equity (2).
• Traffic calming and reduced traffic speed can attract customers and new businesses to an area. These improvements to the pedestrian environment result in better retail sales and make neighbourhoods more desirable places to live (3).

Effectiveness of 30km/h speed limits

Studies from around the world have taken a closer look at the effectiveness of lower speed limits in residential areas and found them to be effective at lowering speeds and improving safety.

• In Switzerland there was a decrease in overall accidents (15%) and accident severity (27%) in 30km/h zones (4).
• In London (UK) a reduction of road casualties by 41.9% (48.5% among those 15 and younger) was reported for 20mph (32km/h) traffic speed zones compared to adjacent areas without lowered speed limits (5).
• Lancashire County (UK) implemented a blanket 30 km/h speed limit in all residential areas and near all schools, and early indications are that deaths and injuries have been reduced (6).

Compliance with lower speed limits

One concern about lowering speed limits is that they may frustrate drivers and create a false sense of security. However, lower speed limits have proven to be particularly effective on local roads.

• Studies that have found that reducing a speed limit fails to reduce actual travel speed have mostly been limited to high-volume high-speed roads. Studies done in residential areas, however, have found statistically significant speed reductions were achieved when posted speed limits were reduced (7).
• Calgary found an average speed of 32 km/h in 30 km/h school zones, and an 85th percentile speed of 38.8 km/h. While 54% of vehicles drove at speeds higher than 30 km/h, only 10% drove at speeds more than 10 km/h over the speed limit (8).

Traffic calming

• An analysis reviewing 33 previous studies found that area-wide traffic calming reduced the number of injury accidents by 15%. Residential areas saw an average reduction in the number of injuries by about 25% (9).

Effectiveness of pedestrian crossings

• Marked pedestrian crossings should be combined with other safety measures, such as signage, signals, raised medians, narrowed roadways, or other features (10). Without these other measures, studies have found no significant difference in safety between unmarked and marked crossing sites (11).
• Pedestrian controlled flashing or solid lights that signal drivers to stop have been shown to reduce crashes involving pedestrians by 69% (12).

Other intersection and crossing treatments

• Raised medians have been found to reduce crashes involving pedestrians by 69%. Even at non-signalized intersections a raised median with a marked crosswalk can reduce collisions between vehicles and pedestrians by 46-56% (13).
• Installing roundabouts in place of conventional intersections, including both traffic lights and stop signs, is a very effective speed control measure, and can reduce collisions with pedestrians by 75% (14).

Further Reading

For a more in-depth exploration of existing studies and policies, download the report below.

And for some additional local research, read Linda Rothman’s study on parents’ perceptions of school traffic safety: summary or full article.

References

1. Garrard, J., Rissel, C., & Bauman, A. (2012). Health benefits of cycling. In Pucher J. & Buehler R. (Eds.), City Cycling (pp. 31-54). The MIT Press.
   McDonald, N.C. (2012). Children and cycling. In Pucher J. & Buehler R. (Eds.), City Cycling (pp. 235-256). The MIT Press.
   O’Brien, C., Ramanathan, S., Gilbert, R. & Orsini, A. (2009). Youth and Sustainable Transportation: A review of the literature. Retrieved from http://www.kidsonthemove.ca
2. Litman, T. (2004). Economic Value of Walkability. World Transport Policy and Practice, 10(1). Retrieved from http://vtpi.org/walkability.pdf
3. Drennen, E. (2003). Economic effects of traffic calming on urban small businesses. Department of
   Public Administration, San Francisco State University, San Francisco. Retrieved from http://www.sfbike.org/download/bikeplan/bikelanes.pdf
4. Lindenmann, H. P. (2005). The effects on road safety of 30 kilometer-per-hour zone signposting in residential districts. Institute of Transportation Engineers. ITE Journal, 75(6), 50-54.
5. Grundy, C., Steinbach, R., Edwards, P., Green, J., Armstrong, B., & Wilkinson, P. (2009). Effect of 20 mph traffic speed zones on road injuries in London, 1986-2006: controlled interrupted time series analysis. Bmj, 339.
6. World Health Organization (WHO). (2013). Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decisionmakers and practitioners. World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/79753/1/9789241505352_eng.pdf
7. Rossy, G. M., Sun, C. C., Jessen, D., & Newman, E. (2012). Residential Speed Limit Reduction Case Studies. Open Transportation Journal, 6, 39-45.
8. Kattan, L., Tay, R., & Acharjee, S. (2011). Managing speed at school and playground zones. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 43(5), 1887-1891.
9. Elvik, R., (2001). Area-wide urban traffic calming schemes: a meta-analysis of safety effects. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 33(3), 327-336.
10. World Health Organization (WHO). (2013). Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decisionmakers and practitioners. World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/79753/1/9789241505352_eng.pdf
11. Van Houten, R., La Plante, L., & Gustafson, T. (2012). Evaluating pedestrian safety improvements: Final report. Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research_Report_RC-1585_408249_7.pdf
    World Health Organization (WHO). (2013). Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decisionmakers and practitioners. World Health Organization. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/79753/1/9789241505352_eng.pdf
12. Arason, N. (2014). No Accident: Eliminating Injury and Death on Canadian Roads. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.
    Van Houten, R., La Plante, L., & Gustafson, T. (2012). Evaluating pedestrian safety improvements: Final report. Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Research_Report_RC-1585_408249_7.pdf
13. Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). (2010). Designing walkable urban thoroughfares: A context sensitive approach. Retrieved from http://library.ite.org/pub/e1cff43c-2354-d714-51d9-d82b39d4dbad
14. Retting, R.A., Ferguson, S.A. & McCartt, A.T. (2003). A review of evidence-based traffic engineering measures designed to reduce pedestrian-motor vehicle crashes. American Journal of Public Health.
    93(9): 1456-1463.

In the downloads section below, we have created a number of supplementary tools that you may find useful. They are in Word document format, and you are encouraged to use them as templates and modify them to meet your needs.