Towards 40 Program

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Encouraging Safer Speeds in Your Community

The Towards 40 program is focused on improving safety in areas where speeding and road safety issues have been identified. The program will encourage safe driving habits and increase speed limit compliance using adaptable measures to improve safety, moving Edmonton closer to our Vision Zero goal.

Current Project Areas

Learn about the current project areas identified as part of the Towards 40 program.

Project Area Updates

Wagner Road

The Background Report is now available for the Wagner Road project area. The report includes feedback from residents and information collected by the project team during the Gathering Information phase when people shared their lived experiences and suggestions for improvement in the project areas. The draft design will soon be available for Edmontonians to review and provide feedback.

Background Report

40 Street and Hermitage Road

Installations of adaptable measures are expected to begin as early as July 8 and continue throughout the summer. Edmontonians will have an opportunity to provide their feedback on the measures in Spring 2025.

Installation Notice
Final Design
What We Decided Report

118 Avenue

The 118 Avenue project area is in the Sharing Final Design phase. The draft design was shared with stakeholders and the final design has been developed based on the feedback received as well as City policies and technical considerations. Installations of the final design are expected to occur fall 2024, weather permitting.

What We Decided Report
Final Design
Installation Notice

Watt Common and 54 Street/4 Avenue

Public engagement is now complete for the Gathering Information phase. The project team is reviewing the feedback and drafting the background report that reflects City policies, technical considerations and what we heard during engagement.

About the Program

Improving the conditions on low compliance and exception roads ensures that all Edmontonians using these roadways, regardless of how they travel, will get to where they’re going safely.

The program is focused on:

Using adaptable measures to increase compliance with the 40 km/h speed limit along priority corridors and low compliance roads
Installing adaptable measures on exception roads that encourage safe driving habits and slower speeds

Public Engagement

The Towards 40 program uses the lived experiences of residents combined with technical data to inform decision making. Public engagement opportunities throughout the program are highlighted in yellow in the Towards 40 Program Roadmap.

View current public engagement updates for your project area.

This program uses the City’s Public Engagement Framework. Learn more about our public engagement process.

What is a Low Compliance Road?
Low Compliance Roads are roadways where the default 40 km/h speed limit is regularly violated and where safe driving behaviours can be further encouraged.

What is an Exception Road?
Exception roads are roadways that didn’t transition to 40 km/h when default speed limits were reduced in 2021. They have been identified as an area where lower speeds need to be encouraged to prioritize safety and accessibility.

What are Adaptable Traffic Calming Measures?
Adaptable measures include curb extensions, parklets, adaptable two-stage crossings, and other configurations.

They allow the City to improve safety conditions on our roads until permanent infrastructure can be installed.

The Towards 40 Program Has 6 Phases:

1. Gathering Information

The City collects data and public feedback through public engagement opportunities. People can advise on their lived experience travelling through the project areas and provide suggestions for safety improvements. At the end of this phase, a background report is shared to summarize the feedback and data collected.

2. Creating Draft Designs

Based on the background report, the project team develops the draft designs using adaptaptable measures that will encourage speed compliance and safer driving behaviours.

3. Sharing Draft Design

The draft design is shared with the public, who are encouraged to advise the project team on their feedback through public engagement. At the end of this phase, a What We Decided Report is shared to show how the project team arrived at the final design.

4. Sharing Final Design

The project team creates the final design using adaptable measures that reflect City policies, technical considerations and feedback heard from public engagement. The final design is shared with residents.

5. Installing Adaptable Measures

The new adaptable measures are installed in the project areas. The public is notified in advance of when installations will occur.

6. Evaluating the Changes

The City collects data and feedback through public engagement about their lived experience and level of comfort travelling within the project areas with the new adaptable measures. At the end of this phase, an evaluation report is shared, which summarizes the feedback and data, showing how driver behaviour has changed since the installation of the adaptable measures.

Safe Streets Map

Use the Safe Streets Map to explore all of the active Towards 40 project areas.

View Safe Streets Map

Adaptable Measures Used for Towards 40

Two-stage Crossings

2-Stage Crossing

Benefits:

Allows people who walk or bike to cross one direction of traffic at a time
Provides a place to pause for those crossing the street to check for traffic
Slows vehicles

When you see one:

Slow down and be aware of others while driving
People walking have right-of-way when crossing
People biking yield before crossing one direction of traffic at a time

Curb Extensions

curb extensions

Benefits:

Shortens crossing distances
Slows vehicles
Increases pedestrian visibility by eliminating parking beside the crossing

When you see one:

Slow down and be aware of others
People walking have right-of-way when crossing at intersections or marked mid-block crossings

Centre Median

Benefits:

Encourages slower speeds
Improves visibility of people crossing the street

When you see one:

Be aware of others

Speed Humps

Rubber speed hump

Benefits:

Slows vehicles speeds

When you see one:

Slow down and be aware of others

Frequently Asked Questions

How will the adaptable traffic calming measures be monitored and will that information be shared with the public?

The City will collect before and after data to measure the impact on speed compliance and traffic safety. This information, once gathered and assessed, will be available to the public at Towards 40 Project Areas in an Evaluation Report.

How much do these adaptable measures cost?

Towards 40 projects are funded through the Traffic Safety Automated Enforcement Reserve, which reinvests automated enforcement revenue in safe and livable streets improvements.

Adaptable measures like curb extensions, two-stage crossings and speed humps can vary in cost from location to location based on the amount of materials, signage requirements and design considerations. These measures can be installed at a lower cost than permanent infrastructure and allows the City to evaluate how effectively these measures increase safety and speed compliance.

How do the adaptable measures improve safety and the lower risk and severity of injuries and fatalities?

Measures (adaptable or permanent) are used to adjust the road design to naturally support slower speeds in residential areas and increase safety in a number of ways:

Slowing down means drivers have more time to see more and react sooner which saves lives. View Slowing Down Saves Lives infographic.
Not only can drivers react sooner at slower speeds but they also have more space to brake for pedestrians, especially at night or in weather conditions making it hard to see people walking. View Speed Increases Braking Distance infographic.
More braking time and distances combined with slower speeds increases the likelihood of survival if someone is hit by a driver. View Pedestrian Collision Survival Rates (Stopping Distance/Vehicle Speed) infographic.

This program is outlined in the Safe Mobility Strategy, approved by Council in 2020. The strategy is designed to move Edmonton further on our path to Vision Zero by laying out how we can work together to create safe and livable streets by 2032

How do adaptable measures affect snow clearing?

The Snow and Ice Control team is involved in reviewing the design plans for every adaptable traffic calming measure installed across the city. Most of the adaptable traffic safety measures across the city remain in place for the cold season.

Placement of some measures may be adjusted to reduce impacts of snow and ice. Site inspections over the winter verify the effectiveness of the placement of the adaptable measures.

Learn more about how snow is removed around adaptable traffic measures at Safety by Design.

For more information about snow clearing and to sign up for Parking Ban notifications, visit Safe Travels.

Contact Us

Email	saferoads@edmonton.ca
Phone	311
TTY	711
Link	Contact 311 Online

Canada Post Service Disruption

Towards 40 Program

Project Area Updates

About the Program

Public Engagement

The Towards 40 Program Has 6 Phases:

Safe Streets Map

Adaptable Measures Used for Towards 40

Two-stage Crossings

Curb Extensions

Centre Median

Speed Humps

Frequently Asked Questions

Speed Limit Reduction (Why 40?)

Estimated Time of Arrival Tool

Safe Mobility Strategy

Vision Zero

Contact Us

Towards 40 Program

Project Area Updates

Public Engagement

Safe Streets Map

Two-stage Crossings

Curb Extensions

Centre Median

Speed Humps

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Links

Overlanders/Homesteader Neighbourhood Renewal

Bicycle Transportation Plan

Speed Limit Reduction (Why 40?)

Estimated Time of Arrival Tool

Safe Mobility Strategy

Vision Zero

Contact Us