In summer 2022, the City of London officially reduced the speed limit throughout Northridge to 40 km/h. The NCA would like to extend our thanks to everyone who participated in our road safety poll last year. Your advocacy is an important part of our community!
Reducing speed limits had been a core part of the NCA's goal since its formation. The following are some of the steps the NCA took to advocate for this change:
2019: Community safety audit (prior to official formation of NCA)
2020–2022: Ongoing communication with the City of London
2021: Neighbourhood survey regarding road safety (results viewable in the letter below)
If you are interested, below is a copy of the background information and research that the NCA shared in 2021. This previously appeared on a dedicated page of this website, and it has been moved to the blog to maintain a record for the community for transparency.
Background
2019 Community Safety Audit
In 2019, Northridge resident (and current NCA co-president) Lisa Wedlake worked with the City of London to conduct a community survey and a safety audit to understand the safety needs of the Northridge residents. Out of this survey, a traffic and speeding committee was formed (this and other committees evolved into the Northridge Community Association). The survey showed that speeding was a real concern for Northridge residents. Many people worried about traffic speeds along the main roads of Glenora Drive, McLean Drive, and Killarney Road, but there were also concerns about pedestrian safety on dimly lit, sidewalk-less side streets. The NCA has started discussions with the City of London regarding the desire for a 40 km/h speed limit on all streets in Northridge. We believe the reduction in speed will:
Reduce danger to pedestrians and other drivers
Increase the consequences for speeding (higher traffic ticket costs)
Reduce the amount of outside traffic cutting through Northridge (between Adelaide, Fanshawe and Highbury)
Obstacles
Early feedback from the City was mostly based on the potential impact to LTC scheduling. The NCA will be conducting an informal analysis to understand the impact that a lower speed limit may have on buses in our neighbourhood. This data will help inform us better as we move forward.
Research and Similar Initiatives
City of London pilot program
The City of London has already commenced a pilot program to reduce speed limits to 40 km/h in certain neighbourhoods (unfortunately, Northridge was not included in the pilot). The City will continue to track the way streets are used, and the impact on transit, to determine when and where to expand the pilot program.
City of Calgary speed limit reduction
On February 1, 2021, the City of Calgary voted to reduce speed limits to 40 km/h on all residential streets “to reduce collisions with severe outcomes like injury and death” (MacVicar 2021). The Globe and Mail reported the following:
[An] average of 9,100 crashes happen in Calgary neighbourhoods every year with an average of 550 resulting in injury or death. City administration told the council [that] reducing the speed limit would result in a rollback of between 90 and 450 residential collisions annually with a reduction of between six and 29 deaths every year. (MacVicar 2021. Emphasis added.)
With fewer collisions, there will be fewer injuries, which means fewer people missing work to recover. There will also be less damage to vehicles and property. It is expected that between the City and the citizens, avoiding these outcomes will represent more than $8 million in savings. (It should be noted that Calgary has a population almost four times as large as London’s, so results and implementation costs would likely be lower in London.)
World Health Organization facts & stats
In 2004, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that reducing speed reduces the amount and severity of collisions (because response time and breaking speed are faster at low speeds). According to WHO:
An increase in the average speed of 1 km/h typically results in a 3% higher risk of a crash involving injury, with a 4–5% increase for crashes that result in fatalities. [Pedestrians] have been shown to have a 90% chance of survival when struck by a car travelling at 30 km/h or below, but less than 50% chance of surviving an impact at 45 km/h. Pedestrians have almost no chance of surviving an impact at 80 km/hr. ("Road safety - Speed.")
In 2018, the Pan American Health Organization (a regional agency of WHO) showed that setting speed limits is a highly effective and low-cost method of speed management.
Have your say
Community support is essential as the NCA works to build a safer community for all who live, learn, work, and socialize in Northridge. Please contact us if you have any feedback or ideas to share.
References
"Area Speed Limits." City of London. https://london.ca/living-london/roads-sidewalks-transportation/road-safety/area-speed-limits MacVicar, Adam. "Calgary city council votes to reduce residential speed limits to 40 km/h." The Globe and Mail, 2 February 2021. https://globalnews.ca/news/7612849/calgary-city-council-residential-speed-limits-40-kmh/ "Road Safety - Speed." World Health Organization, 2004. https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/publications/road_traffic/world_report/speed_en.pdf "Speed and Road Crashes." Pan American Health Organization, 2018. https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&view=download&category_slug=factsheets-5288&alias=46061-speed-road-crashes-2018-061&Itemid=270&lang=en
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