Kitchener council approves lower speed limits for 1,500 streets

Kitchener council approved a $550,000 plan to lower speed limits in residential areas on Monday night — a move that will affect 1,500 streets.

The move means speed limits will fall to 40 km/h from 50 km/h over the next two to three years, and limits in school zones will fall to 30 km/h from 40 km/h.

Signs will be placed at entrances and exits of the areas where speed limits will be lowered.

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“One of the most common concerns we hear from residents is speeding on quiet residential roads,” Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said in a release.

“The move to 40 km/h is an important step in improving road safety.”

The new program comes after a two-year pilot project when speeds were dropped by 3 km/h in neighbourhoods where it had been implemented.

Staff report a similar drop in other cities which have adopted similar measures.

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