MoWesters urged to consult traffic calming policy

By Joel Goldenberg, September 19th, 2012

Montreal West Councillor Julie Tasker-Brown urged residents to consult the town's new traffic calming policy on its website, which lays out the process in which traffic calming devices can potentially be installed on various streets.
The policy can be seen at http://www.montreal-west.ca/en/traffic-calming-policy-for-neighbourhood-streets.
“This policy should make the procedure for installing new traffic calming devices fair and efficient,” said Tasker-Brown, the councillor in charge of the public security portfolio on council. “We've already received a few requests for traffic-calming measures, so we will have a chance to road test our new policy.”
The councillor said that the town ordered speed measuring devices.
“Part of the process is we take objective measurements for speed and volume,” she explained. “We're looking forward to seeing how the new process pans out. I welcome any resident with a traffic issue to consult the traffic calming policy.”
The policy statement explains that “all traffic-calming requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. Residents that wish to have a traffic review of their street should submit a written request to the Public Security Department, which will determine whether to initiate the traffic calming review process.”
The policy page also explains that a three-step process is involved in a traffic review before any calming device, such as a speed hump, is installed.
1.) “Analysis of vehicle speeds (for speeding): Using an unobtrusive tracking device, traffic speeds would be measured for a complete week (seven days). Should 85 percent of drivers exceed the speed limit by 10 km/hr, a traffic-calming measure is considered; or,
o”Analysis of traffic volume (for excessive cut-through traffic): Using an unobtrusive tracking device, traffic volume would be measured for a complete week (seven days). Should the street be used by more than 1,000 cars during a 24-hour period, a traffic-calming measure is considered.”
2.)  “Determination of appropriate calming measure(s): If the installation of a traffic-calming device is warranted, the request will be reviewed by the Montreal West Traffic and Safety Committee (TASC). TASC will determine the appropriate traffic calming measure by taking into account a number of factors including the length of the block, considerations by public transit and emergency services and the presence of existing municipal and private infrastructure (manhole covers, storm drains, driveways, etc.), and then make a recommendation to council.”
3.) “Consultation with affected residents: Once the appropriate traffic calming measure is determined and approved by council, the residents on the street will receive a letter describing the appropriate traffic calming measure and its proposed location. The residents can sign the letter indicating their approval or disapproval of the proposed measure. The approval of the simple majority of the residents living on the affected block will be required to implement the measure(s). Only one vote per residence will be considered.”
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Tasker-Brown also announced that the Montreal police department has a complaint form for traffic offences that are witnessed. The firm can be consulted at http://www.spvm.qc.ca/en/pdq/frm_plainte-circulation.asp?pdq=pdq9.
“Citizens can fill this out,” she said. “This will be sent directly to the SPVM. This is a great new initiative. A resident who feels there has been speeding or people not stopping at stop lights can fill out the form. They assure us that the way they distribute their resources is if there are areas where there are a lot of traffic complaints, they tend to place officers there. This is something residents in the community can do to try and ensure a greater police presence in their area.”
The form is available in English and French. The identity of complainants is kept confidential.