Evaluation Process
If you are experiencing problems with traffic speed on your lane, school zone, or local residential road, you can request an evaluation by contacting the City of Surrey’s traffic calming group. The traffic calming evaluation involves a number of steps.
Lanes
To initiate an evaluation for speed humps on a lane, a petition showing the location of the lane, names, addresses and signatures of at least two-thirds (67%) of the properties that abut the specified lane must be forwarded to the City. The name, address and contact information of the petition organizer are also necessary so a City staff member can follow up with you on your request for traffic calming. This petition process is required, as the City needs to be confident that there is some neighbourhood support for the initiative.
A lane petition form is available here.
After a brief evaluation of the lane, the City will then begin the design process, allocate funding for the project and engage a contractor to install the traffic calming measures, including signage and pavement markings. The City will fund 100% of the traffic calming installation and will manage all aspects of the project. Construction usually takes place 6 to 12 months after the petition is received, and is subject to weather, complexity of the construction, number of other projects, and funding availability.
School Zones
To initiate an evaluation for traffic calming within an elementary school zone on either a local or collector road, the City requires a letter from the school requesting traffic calming. A petition is not necessary.
The City will then review the site and begin the design process, allocate funding for the project and engage a contractor to install the traffic calming measures, including signage and pavement markings. The City will fund 100% of the traffic calming installation and will manage all aspects of the project. Construction usually takes places 12 to 18 months after the request is received, and is subject to weather, complexity of the construction, number of other projects, coordination with other projects in the area, and funding availability.
Local Roads
1. Organize a Petition
To initiate an evaluation for a local road, a petition showing the names, addresses and signatures of at least 10 separate households on the street of concern must be forwarded to the City.
The petition must include the location, the nature of the problem, the time of the day when problems are most significant, as well as any suspected contributing factors, such as congestion at nearby major intersections. The name, address and contact information of the petition organizer are also necessary so a City staff member can follow up with you on your request for traffic calming. This petition process is required, as the City needs to be confident that there is some neighbourhood support for the initiative.
A local road petition form is available here.
Please note that highways, arterial roads, and collector roads aren’t eligible for traffic calming except for collector roads fronting elementary schools. To determine the classification of your street, view the City's Road Classification Map.
The City's traffic calming program is intended to address long-term speeding issues. Therefore, traffic calming is not implemented where there is on-going construction. Please contact the City to request the initiation of the evaluation process if traffic concerns persist once traffic patterns have had the opportunity to stabilize.
If you are unsure if your street qualifies for traffic calming or wish to discuss your concerns with a City staff member, please contact us.
2. Review of a Location
The City's traffic calming program successfully addresses chronic, long-term situations where the majority of motorists are driving inappropriately. As a result, the need for traffic calming is based primarily on two criteria: total daily traffic volume and daily traffic speed.
- Total daily traffic volume is the total number of vehicles, in both directions, passing a particular location in an average day.
- Daily traffic speed is measured using the “85th percentile” concept. This is the speed at which 85% of daily vehicles travel at or below.
The City will consider the implementation of traffic calming if the following criteria are met:
- The road carries a minimum daily traffic volume of 500 vehicles per day; and
- The 85th percentile speed of daily traffic is 10 km/h higher than the existing speed limit.
During the review process, City staff will survey traffic conditions in the neighbourhood and collect the necessary daily traffic volume and speed data. Staff will visit the street looking at particular issues (speeds, school zone, etc.). Data is usually collected over one full week to get a comprehensive picture of the traffic conditions in the neighbourhood. The City uses a traffic counter that collects vehicle speeds and volumes throughout the day. Typically, it takes six to eight weeks for the City to complete the review and contact the petitioner. On completion of the investigation, the petition organizer will be contacted outlining the result and advising on the next steps.
If the above criteria for traffic calming are met, the applicable street or neighbourhood will be placed on a prioritized list for the development and funding of a traffic calming plan. In this manner, City resources and funds will be directed towards those residential areas that are most in need of traffic calming. Potential traffic calming projects are prioritized based on factors including:
- How much the volume and speed warrant thresholds are exceeded;
- Whether there is a known safety problem that could be addressed through traffic calming;
- Whether there are specific land uses where high numbers of children are present, such as schools, parks or playgrounds;
- Whether there are sidewalks on both sides of the street.
3. Develop a Plan
City staff will develop a cost-effective traffic calming plan for the streets to target neighbourhood concerns. This plan may include passive devices, such as signage, and physical devices, that involve both horizontal and vertical deflection measures. It will form the basis of future consultation.
4. Seek Neighbourhood Input
The proposed traffic calming plan will be made available to the neighbourhood to allow each household in the affected area the opportunity to indicate support for or opposition to the plan. Typically the affected area includes the households that may have to travel through the potentially traffic-calmed area on a daily basis. Generally, three weeks will be provided for responses to be submitted to the City. Staff will be able to answer any questions or concerns.
The City will consider implementation of the proposed traffic calming plan if at least 50% of the affected households consulted respond to the survey for traffic calming, and at least 60% or more of the responding households support the plan. This approach helps identify the majority opinion of the neighbourhood. If a household does not respond within the timeframe specified by the City, it is assumed that the household will accept the choice made by their neighbours.
5. Design, Funding, and Construction
If there is sufficient support for the traffic calming plan, the City will then arrange for any detailed design work to be undertaken, allocate funding for the project and engage a contractor to install the traffic calming measures, including signage, pavement markings and landscaping. The City will fund 100% of the traffic calming installation and will manage all aspects of the project. The schedule for this process varies, but usually takes place approximately 6 to 12 months after the completion of the neighbourhood survey, subject to weather, complexity of the construction, coordination with other projects in the area, number of other projects, and funding availability.
6. Conduct a Post-Traffic Calming Study
Following construction, the Engineering Department will conduct an “after” study to determine if the traffic calming project has helped to improve traffic conditions or if it requires any changes. The study is typically completed 6 to 12 months after completion of the traffic calming project.