As of Friday, drivers travelling the four-block stretch of Dundas Place in downtown London will have to ease up on the gas pedal.
The City of London says the speed limit on Dundas Street from Ridout to Wellington streets will drop from 50 km/h to 30 km/h beginning on July 10.
“Safety is a top priority for the City of London, and we want to make sure all Londoners feel comfortable and confident being out and about in the city,” Doug MacRae, the city's director of roads and transportation, said in a statement. “On Dundas, lower speed limits reinforce the goal of this street as a destination shared by pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, and it reinforces the unique design of the flexible street.”
City council gave the go-ahead for the lower speed limit on London's first flex street earlier this year. The city is also in the process of designating the downtown-area as a 'community safety zone', which would see fines for speeding and other traffic infractions doubled.
Speed limits along other downtown streets with high levels of pedestrian and cyclist traffic will also be coming down in the coming months. Those streets will see speed limits lowered to 40 km/h. The first area to see the traffic slow down will be the area bordered by Oxford Street, Adelaide Street, Horton Street, and Wharncliffe Road. Exceptions for a few commuter routes such as York Street are being made.
In addition to the downtown, neighbourhood streets within the following boundaries will also have speeds decreased to 40 km/h:
· Highbury Avenue South, Commissioners Road East, Jackson Road, Bradley Avenue.
· Westdel Bourne, Oxford Street West, Commissioners Road West, Boler Road, Byron Baseline Road.
· Hyde Park Road, Fanshawe Park Road West, Wonderland Road North, Gainsborough Road.
“Lowering speed limits, along with a variety of other ongoing changes to our roads, results in healthier, vibrant communities,” added MacRae. “The City of London is continuing to implement Vision Zero Road Safety Strategy initiatives that work towards calmer streets, and will continue to monitor the use of streets to determine when and where additional safety measures might be needed.”
