Traffic Calming

Speed humps are raised sections of asphalt that can be driven over comfortably at low speeds. The curved designs are smoother for vehicles and bicycles and are more effective at reducing speed. They are best suited for local streets.

Yellow concrete islands act as medians to reduce the width of the street. They slow down drivers and increase protection for pedestrians. 

Curb extensions are curbs that are built further into the street to reduce crossing distance for pedestrians. They also narrow the roadway to slow down drivers, particularly those turning.

These flashing displays alert drivers of their current speed. They are used on busier roads like collectors or arterials.

Traffic circles ​​slow vehicles down while maintaining access and often include greenery.

Traffic diverters are barriers in the roadway that reduce cut-through traffic by diverting it in one or more directions while maintaining access for emergency services. They can also provide opportunities for placemaking.

Chicanes create unique, narrower, “winding” streets to slow down drivers. The design requires sharing space and yielding, and often includes landscaped boulevards.

Changes to the roadway eliminate through-traffic while allowing access for emergency services and those walking, cycling and rolling. They also create opportunities for placemaking, public seating, landscaping and local plazas.

Residents submit traffic calming requests to eng@victoria.ca. These requests should describe:

• the location
• observed traffic problems
• time of day it occurs
• other key information

Staff will follow up with residents to discuss and gather further information as needed.

The street will be reviewed with the following considerations:

• land use
• road width
• parking
• transit
• crosswalks
• available traffic data
• planned construction projects

This review will help to assess whether the location is best suited for a traffic calming measure or another solution.

If the street is eligible for traffic calming, traffic data will be collected to confirm existing conditions. Vehicle volumes and speeds are collected with counters and/or traffic radar studies. Manual intersection counts or observations may also be used.

Due to high volume of traffic calming requests, data collection can take three months or more.

Once traffic data is collected, locations are scored and prioritized according to:

• vehicle speeds and volumes
• traffic patterns
• land use
• vehicle types
• collision data

Notification of proposed traffic calming projects will be sent out to residents with the opportunity to provide feedback before installation.