Traffic calming projects planned for three city neighbourhoods

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Three Fredericton neighbourhoods where concerns have been raised about vehicle speeds will see traffic calming measures put in place this summer by the city.

Traffic engineer Tyson Aubie announced plans for calming projects on Highland Avenue and Douglas Avenue on the north side and Canterbury Drive on the south side.

Aubie said the city allocated $50,000 for traffic calming in this year’s budget.

“We’ll be starting detailed designs soon on all three projects,” he said.

Aubie said traffic calming measures help drivers reduce their speed in residential areas, improve the perception of safety, and reduce traffic taking shortcuts through neighbourhoods. He said the plan was developed in consultation with Fredericton Transit and the fire and police departments.

Aubie said factors considered when planning traffic calming include the percentage of drivers travelling at or below the posted speed limit and the locations of schools, parks, and other amenities, along with traffic volumes, sidewalks, and bike lanes.

Highland Avenue sees a fair bit of “cut-through traffic,” Aubie said, with 925 vehicles per day and most drivers travelling between 55 km/h and 64 km/h. Some sections don’t have sidewalks, and a ballfield, government offices and the health centre on St. Mary’s Street contribute to pedestrian traffic. Six speed bumps will be installed.

Aubie said staff have received plenty of feedback over the years on Canterbury Drive, which sees 2,500 vehicles a day and drivers travelling an average of 53 km/h. It has sidewalks on both sides in some places and on one side in others. Ten speed cushions will be installed on that street.

Portions of Douglas Avenue already have traffic calming measures in place, Aubie said, but the section between Carrington and Brookside Drive will have four speed cushions added. He said most drivers travel between 52 km/h to 56 km/h, there’s a sidewalk on one side, and the street sees 3,600 vehicles a day.

Aubie said details on traffic calming will eventually be posted on the city’s website.

Coun. Bruce Grandy, who chairs the city’s mobility committee, said he’s pleased to see a policy in place for traffic calming that’s based on data instead of theories and the public’s perception of speed.

When asked by Mayor Kate Rogers about how previous measures on University Avenue and other streets would be evaluated to see if they’ve worked, Aubie said the improvements on University were aimed at slowing traffic and enhancing pedestrian safety. He said staff will gather more data within the first year of calming measures being implemented to see where improvements could be made.

“We were seeing traffic going at far too high a speed there for it being a residential neighbourhood with a lot of streets on and off University Avenue,” said Rogers. “I’m very appreciative for the control mechanisms that have been put in place, but that area has been problematic and there have been accidents there.”