St Andrews Safety Improvements Project

We’ve made improvements along St Andrews between Keith Road and 13th Street to slow driver speeds and improve safety for all road users.

This section of St Andrews is a local street that is well-used by pedestrians, a designated bike route, and an important connection to the Green Necklace, Lions Gate Hospital, Ridgeway Elementary School, and other area amenities. 

During the summer of 2020, the City implemented a 30km/hr speed zone from Keith Road to 13th Street, to address ongoing concerns from residents. Data collection before and after the speed limit change showed only a minor change in driver speeds.

The original width of St Andrews was much wider than a typical residential street, making it easy for drivers to feel comfortable speeding. To help align driver speeds with the posted speed limit and provide a safer, more comfortable experience for everyone, the City launched a multi-phase community engagement process to help inform further design changes to the street. 

This project supports key actions identified in the City’s Mobility Strategy and Council’s Strategic Plan by reducing travel speeds to improve neighbourhood safety and livability. 

Phase 1 – Spring 2021

In March 2021, we reached out to the community about our plans to make safety improvements and launched a multi-phase engagement process. The most common theme we heard was that excess vehicle speed is a concern. This input aligned with previous community feedback and helped shape a proposed design that would encourage driver compliance with the posted speed limit and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. 

Phase 2 - Summer 2021

A proposed design was presented to the community in July 2021 and received overall support for raised crosswalks, narrowing the roadway to support slower speeds, and using the remaining road space for an uphill mobility lane. The main concerns we heard were related to loss of street parking and not enough separation between the proposed mobility lane and vehicle traffic.

In response to this feedback, the proposed design was adjusted to retain as much street parking as possible. Changes were not made to the mobility lane as the proposed design aligned with provincial and regional guidelines for a local street. The community was encouraged to view the revised design, ask questions and provide input.

After a construction delay due to a paint shortage affecting North America, the safety improvements were completed in July 2022. 

Phase 3 – Spring 2023 – Winter 2024

In April 2023, we reconnected with the community to gather input about how people were experiencing the street following the safety improvements made in 2022. The engagement process was designed to gather information by mode of transportation to better understand the unique experiences of residents who live on, live near, or travel along St Andrews. Community feedback was received by a variety of methods including an online survey, three small group workshops, and meetings with various residents. Learn more in the Phase 3 Engagement Summary.

In July 2023, staff presented recommended updates to the corridor design and Council directed the project team to implement the recommended design adjustments between 9th Street and 13th Street, and explore further design opportunities for the most complex section of the corridor between Keith Road and 9th Street. Learn more in the ‘St. Andrews Safety Improvements Project – Next Steps’ Council report.

In January 2024, staff brought forward a report that included a recommended design option from Keith Road to 9th Street and Council directed the project team to implement the recommended option. Learn more in the ‘Recommended Design – Keith Road to 9th Street’ Council report.

Visit our Let’s Talk page to learn more about previous phases of community engagement.

The modifications made to narrow the street are aligned with design best practices for a residential street and are consistent with the drivable width of neighbouring streets such as Ridgeway Avenue.

A narrowed street permits bi-directional travel, but does not create separate travel lanes. This promotes a greater sense of speed awareness among drivers and forces drivers traveling in opposite directions to slow down, look ahead, and navigate around one another using pullout space at lanes and gaps in parking. These actions make drivers more aware of their surroundings including the presence of vulnerable road users, making the street safer and more comfortable for everyone.

We have monitored driver speeds and collected data along St Andrews during various phases of the project: 

1. Prior to any changes being implemented (50km/hr speed limit)
2. After signage was installed noting the 30km/hr speed limit change
3. After changes were made to the street design 

The data was collected at three different locations along the route for a minimum of two weeks to gather a representative sample. 

Outcomes

Changing the speed limit without changes to the road design had minimal impact to 85% of driver speed. This is the industry standard methodology for assessing traffic speeds and describes the speed that 85% of drivers are traveling at or lower. Changes to the street design generated a 10% - 16% decrease in driver speed along the corridor and the average driver speed has fallen near or below the posted speed limit.

Please refer to the December 5, 2022 Council Report for more information about data collection, monitoring, and results.