Residential Areas: 40km/h Zones

Earlier this year, Council approved an amendment to the Traffic and Parking By-law to reduce the speed limit to 40km/h within residential areas.

Subdivisions now have signs at their entrance and exit to designate the area as a 40km/h zone instead of 50km/h. All signs have been installed and reduced speeds are in effect. There are a total of 156 signs installed.

Where it applies, school zone signs have been changed to 30 km/h.

Contact Infrastructure Services at 613-443-1747 or infrastructure@russell.ca for more information.

The Highway Traffic Act

In 2017, Bill 65 was passed and amended the HTA, section 128, to allow municipalities to adopt a By-Law which could impose a speed reduction, lower than 50 km/h, without having to install signs on every street but rather only at the entrance of subdivisions.

Many cities in Ontario already implemented this change. Some of them took a phasing approach because of the number of signs that had to be installed.

This type of speed reduction is not considered a community zone where speeding fines are increased.