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7 Traffic-Calming Devices To Slow Speeding In Your Strata Community

Published Date

Neighborhood street with houses and mountains in the background

Speeding cars on private roads is a widespread concern that can result in serious consequences. In fact, speeding in residential areas is one of the most common complaints to local police stations across the province. While your Strata Community may be able to implement several measures to combat speeding, traffic-calming devices can effectively reduce the speed and number of cars on neighbourhood roads. Read on to learn about traffic-calming devices and how to slow speeding in your strata community.

What Does Traffic-Calming Mean?

Traffic-calming is a method used to reduce vehicle speeds or volumes - mainly by using physical design—to improve quality of life and increase neighbourhood safety. By building speed bumps and other obstructions or altering the design of a road, you can deliberately slow traffic and reduce traffic flow.

Tips for Installing Traffic-Calming Devices in a Strata Corporation

Traffic-calming devices have long been the go-to method for communities to effectively control speeding vehicles. Installation of these devices can vary in cost, but there are many

affordable solutions. Before committing to installing these devices, you should:

  • Consult your local municipal department. Roadway ownership and building codes may
    control the type of devices allowed.

  • Read your governing documents. Your documents should offer guidelines for your Council regarding the ability to install devices or signage in the association’s common areas.

  • Contact a civil engineer. A civil engineer specializing in traffic control may help you determine the most effective devices and locations for installation based on your
    community’s traffic patterns.

  • Talk to a legal professional. If you need additional assistance, seek the opinion of a 
    qualified legal professional.

7 Traffic-Calming Devices and Strategies

There are several traffic calming devices and strategies used in Strata neighbourhoods all over Canada & North America. Traffic-calming measures are implemented to enforce a speed limit andenhance the safety of pedestrians and motorists. Popular options include:

  1. Speed bumps. 

Speed bump on empty street.

Speed bumps, also known as traffic thresholds or speed breakers, are vertical deflection devices that slow vehicle traffic. A vertical deflection means it changes the roadway's height to force a motorist to slow down. Usually made of asphalt, concrete, or plastic, speed bumps are constructed at various heights to meet industry standards. Speed bumps can slow speeds from 5 to 10 mph while driving over them.

Speed hump marked with yellow stripes on road.

2. Speed humps. 

Speed humps are a less-intense type of speed bump. Offering a shorter height and longer ramp length than a speed bump, speed humps are intended to slow traffic speeds on low volume, low-speed roads. Speed humps can reduce speeds to 15 to 20 mph.

Speed table on street.

3. Speed tables. 

Longer than speed humps, speed tables provide a flat-topped surface that raises the entire wheelbase of a vehicle, causing it to reduce its speed. Often used as a traffic-calming measure at intersections, the elevated surface of a speed table allows for easier pedestrian and bike crossings while obstructing motor vehicle speeds. Speed tables can reduce car speeds down to 20 to 30 mph.

Speed cushions at road intersection.

4. Speed cushions. 

Speed cushions are raised and elongated sections, like speed humps, with wheel cutouts that allow for emergency vehicles to pass through unaffected. The speed cushion, or raised and elongated section, reduces passenger car speeds. Speed cushions can slow passenger car speeds to 10 to 15 mph while allowing busses and emergency response vehicles to travel at normal speeds.

Red car going over white rumble strips.

5. Rumble strips. 

Also called alert strips, rumble strips are grooves or rows of indentations in the pavement 
that create noise and vibrations that alert drivers to the directions of the road. Rumble strips can be rolled into newly laid asphalt pavement or milled into existing asphalt and concrete roads. Corrugated-formed strips can also be pressed into fresh concrete or fastened to existing pavement. Rumble strips can be used to notify drivers of street signs, speed limits, pedestrian crossings, and other road safety concerns.

Neighborhood street with bike lane and median.

6. Chicanes

Chicanes are road designs that form an S-shaped path of travel. Using curb extensions, medians, and other measures, chicanes bend the pathway, requiring a motorist to maneuver around obstacles and lower their speed. Intended for low-volume roads, chicanes can be visually appealing traffic-calming methods to use in a Strata Community.

Curvy narrow street in a neighborhood.

7. Lane narrowing. 

Studies show  that a reduced street width, in conjunction with other traffic-calming measures, can also reduce the speed of car travel. Using sidewalks, landscaping, or striping to narrow lanes down to about 10 feet can encourage drivers to instinctively slow down.

Communicate Strata Speed-Reducing Strategies 

Installing traffic-calming devices in your community creates a culture of safety. However this effort takes time, money, and constant messaging. Proactive and consistent communication is an effective way of curtailing any unwanted behavior, like speeding, in a community.