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.
“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.