Traffic Planning

Traffic signs are used as traffic control devices to:

• Provide positive guidance to motorists to avoid hazards.
• Provide uniformity of control messages related to shapes, colours and installation methods;
• Assign a right-of-way;
• Advise motorists of traffic regulations and provide them with the information necessary for route selections.

The Radar Message Board (RMB) is a community-based road safety device which provides immediate vehicle speed feedback to drivers. The RMB is a portable radar unit which combines a radar gun and a large LED speed display board. The unit is powered by a portable battery pack. The RMB is available free of charge to community representatives to be used in your area. The unit is completely safe, very easy to set up and operate.

By keeping track of vehicle speeds, you can provide an RMB Citizen Report to the Halton Regional Police Service for excessively speeding vehicles. When you return the unit, submit your RMB Citizen Report Form, and Halton Regional Police Service will send a warning letter to the registered owner of the vehicle.

Purpose

The purpose of the Community Road Watch program is to promote road safety. For more information, please contact Georgetown Division District #11, Police Station: 905-878-5511.

What is the process?

• Complete the form to report incidents of dangerous driving.

• Submit the completed form to the police station for appropriate follow-up.

How we are organized

Halton Community Road Watch is a partnership of the Community Consultation Committees, Halton Regional Police Service, Municipalities of Halton Hills, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, Region of Halton and the Ministry of Transportation in Ontario. We meet as necessary, as individual groups or as joint groups, with the stated common purpose in focus.

Vision

To have a significant impact on road safety within the Municipal Region of Halton during the year 2002 and into the future.

Video

A 30-minute video outlining the Road Watch program is available to interested parties. Contact your local Police station to borrow a copy. As well, requests for a speaker can be made, who will explain the program. Consult with your local Police station for further details or download the Roadwatch Submission Form.

In a similar respect that directly affects road safety, if you notice that any traffic signs are damaged or missing, please get in touch with the Public Works section at 905-873-2600 Ext. 2603 to reach the Public Works clerk. The sooner we are aware of the problems, the faster corrective action can be undertaken, and the potential for accidents minimized.

The Town of Halton Hills has entered into an agreement with South Western Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Halton Hills Hydro, for the maintenance of streetlights for the next five years.

To ensure maximum benefit and efficiency for the roadway illumination system, if you notice any streetlight in the Town is out or turning on and off intermittently (cycling) please contact the new voice mailbox at 519-853-3700 Ext. 226. Repairs are only made after the deficient streetlight is brought to the Town's attention.

Traffic Calming Implementation Protocol

The Town of Halton Hills has a Traffic Calming Implementation Protocol, outlining the process for installation of traffic calming measures.

What is it?

Traffic control devices are used to reduce the speed and/or volume of vehicular traffic on neighbourhood streets. Below are examples of Traffic Calming methods.

Local and collector roads

• Speed humps

• Roundabouts

• Centre medians (Islands)

• Curb extensions (bump outs)

• Oversized Speed Signs

• Flexible Bollards

• Raised Crosswalks

• Permanent and temporary Radar Message Boards

Arterial roads

• Vehicle Activated Traffic Calming Signs

• Pavement markings, gateway features and oversize speed signs

Why is it incorporated on our roads?

• Increases safety and liveability in the neighbourhood.

• Reduces the negative impacts of motor vehicles in high-traffic areas.

• Increases driver awareness of street functions (which reduces vehicular speed).

• Discourages non-local traffic from travelling through a neighbourhood.

• Encourages public involvement in traffic calming activities.

• Reduces conflicts between various street users, including motorists, cyclists, pedestrian and others.

In 2021, the Town of Halton Hills undertook the 40 km/h Speed Limit Area Pilot Project to assess speed reduction signage combined with and without traffic calming measures to determine if there is a positive impact on reducing overall speeds on our roadways.

Council approved the recommendation report and 40 km/h Speed Limit Policy in 2022.

What is a 40 km/h Speed Limit Area?

A process for implementation of 40 km/h Area Speed Limits providing an objective procedure for staff to evaluate and implement lower speed limits on the Town’s new and existing Local and Collector classified roads. Instead of reducing speed limits street by street, area speed limits establish a reduced speed limit for an entire neighbourhood.

What type of neighbourhoods will be considered?

Only neighbourhoods comprising of local and collector classification roads will be considered for the implementation of a 40 km/h Speed Limit Area.

Why create 40km/h Speed Limit Areas?

• Increase safety and livability in the neighbourhood.

• Increase driver awareness of street functions.

• Reduces the negative impacts of motor vehicles in high-vulnerable pedestrian traffic areas.

The Halton Regional Police Service operate several programs which actively involve residents in educating and reporting traffic concerns:

• Drive SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone) Roads Partnership

  • Town and Police work hard to identify, verify, and risk assess traffic concerns, be they citizen complaints or through police observation. Officers from Georgetown Police Station are tasked to conduct robust enforcement at those locations which have been deemed moderate to high risk. These locations receive targeted enforcement for a period of one month in an effort to modify driver behaviour through enforcement and education.

• Project Rural Impact

  • Officers address rural speeding concerns at specific locations within the rural community of Halton Hills. This takes the form of bi-annual enforcement blitzes led by the District Response Unit and supported by platoon officers.

• Canada Road Safety Week

  • Georgetown officers target the 4 high-risk driver behaviours (Impaired driving/Aggressive Driving/Distracted Driving/Seatbelt noncompliance) during Canada's Road Safety Week in May. This is an "all hands on deck" approach and leads to one of the most significant enforcement efforts within the province.

• Ride SAFE (Safety Awareness for Everyone) Halton

  • A motorcycle safety riding awareness campaign to be complemented by motorcycle enforcement along rural routes in Halton Hills. New warning signs have been designed and purchased by the Town to be installed along a popular high-risk route.

• Project ERASE (Eradicate Racing Activity on Streets Everywhere)

  • Street racing is a very dangerous activity. To combat this, officers from Milton and Georgetown have developed partnerships with other police agencies within the GTA to target this driving behaviour. It will not be tolerated within our community.

• All officers are TRAFFIC officers

  • Police in Halton Hills understand that aggressive driving is a concern for all residents, and all officers are expected to play their part in helping to make the roads as safe as possible.  Residents can also submit Traffic Complaints and Road Watch reports online.

For further information on any of these programs, or to report a speeding concern, please contact the Halton Regional Police at 905-825-4747. The Town of Halton Hills has been designated as a Safe Community through Parachute, a national charitable organization dedicated to an injury-free Canada with Canadians living long lives to the fullest.

The Red Light Camera Program is under the jurisdiction of Halton Region. The purpose of the Red Light Camera Program is to improve road safety and reduce the number of drivers running red lights. The camera takes pictures of red light violators 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but only operates when a vehicle enters the intersection once the light has turned red. There are three red light cameras currently located in Halton Hills:

• 10 Side Road (Regional Road 10) and Ninth Line (Regional Road 13)

• 5 Side Road and Trafalgar Road (Regional Road 3)

• 10 Side Road (Regional Road 10) and Eighth Line

What is a Roundabout?

• An intersection where all traffic circulates in a counterclockwise direction, to the right of a central island.

• All entering vehicles must yield to traffic already in the roundabout.

• All vehicles must yield to pedestrians at designated crosswalks.

Why do we have Roundabouts?

• They reduce speeds
  • Motorists must lower speeds to navigate through a roundabout.
• They improve safety

  • Roundabouts reduce the number of vehicle conflict points and cause motorists to reduce their speeds.

  • Reduces the severity of collisions due to lower speeds and the reduction of right-angle and head-on type collisions.

  • Increase pedestrian safety through shorter crossing distances.

• They reduce traffic delays and improve traffic flow

  • Several motorists can use the roundabout at once.

  • There are fewer stops as cars yield at entry points and are continuously moving.

  • A high volume of left-turning vehicles is better handled by a roundabout than a traffic signal or a gap in road traffic.

• They reduce pollution

  • Reduced delays result in reduced fuel consumption.

  • Reduced emissions result in improved air quality.

• They reduce maintenance costs
  • The roundabout eliminates maintenance and electricity costs associated with traffic signals.

How do I use a roundabout?

This video was sourced from the Region of Waterloo. For more information, please visit the Halton Region or Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

What is it?

• The counting of vehicular traffic on a particular road at specific times.

• Often done by an electronic traffic counter, which usually consists of a cable that runs along the road and attaches to a box on the boulevard.

• It can classify the types of vehicles using the road (cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes).

• It can measure the speed of traffic on that specific road.

Why conduct traffic counts?

• To identify which routes are most used.

• To improve specific roads.

• To provide alternative routes if there is an excessive amount of traffic.

• To review speed limits.

• To classify roads based on Ontario Minimum Maintenance Standards.

• To plan and install effective signals, signs, and intersections.

Looking to purchase a property?

Before purchasing any property (residential or commercial), it is advised to look at the traffic counts of a particular road.
This will help you identify volumes of traffic around your future property.