Public Works and Engineering frequently receives calls from residents expressing concern with road safety specifically around vehicle speeds. The use of mobile speed radar trailers is one way PWE responds to these concerns. These trailers are circulated throughout the municipality based on requests from residents and planned construction.
Staff received 41 requests for the speed radar trailers in 2023, up by six from 2022. Due to storm damage and vandalism the speed radar trailers were unavailable for a number of months in 2023, and staff were unable to collect data from all requested locations.
One of the features of the trailer is that they allowing staff to access the speed data collected to review for trends and share with law enforcement as appropriate.
Data collected from the speed radar trailers in 2023 show that the majority of municipal roadways are operating in a manner consistent with the posted speed limit, as average speeds were generally below or close to the posted speed limit.
It is worth noting that staff receive complaints regarding speed on County roadways that are not under the operational jurisdiction of the municipality. Staff work collaboratively with the County and have provided the speed radar trailers on County roads as a tool to help promote appropriate driving speeds and behaviours.
In addition to the mobile signs, and in response to ongoing excessive vehicle speeds on Longwoods Road, the municipality purchased and installed two permanent post mounted speed radar devices to provide a reminder to motorists to travel within the posted speed limit. Unfortunately average speeds are still a little higher than the posted speed limit. Staff will continue to monitor over the coming year to see if there are any trends in driving behaviour and speed.
- Read the full staff report to Council
(Council received the Speed Radar Results at their April 17, 2024 meeting.) - View the Speed Radar Results for 2023
What's Next
- Any areas with a high proportion of vehicles with speeds consistently over the speed limit will be shared with the Middlesex OPP as speeding hot spots for targeted enforcement action.
- Staff will look to roll this program out again in 2024, to educate drivers and promote proper driving speeds on area roadways. It is part of the municipal Vision Zero road safety campaign.
Reminders:
To Request a Temporary Speed Radar Sign for your Neighbourhood
To request that the speed radar sign come to your neighbourhood, contact Middlesex Centre Public Works and Engineering. The sign is typically available on a first-come, first-served basis. To ensure road safety requirements are met, placement of the sign is at the discretion of Middlesex Centre staff.
Speeding - Enforcement
For issues related to speeding and enforcement, please contact the Middlesex OPP at 1-888-310-1122 (non-urgent call line). You may also report driving complaints using the OPP's Online Reporting System.