CITY HALL – The city’s Transportation committee approved a plan to implement citywide road safety measures in 2021, building upon projects completed in 2020.

 “The city implemented most of its planned road safety measures from the Strategic Road Safety Action Plan last year,” city staff released in a statement today (March 3). “In 2021, the city would continue ongoing projects and begin new initiatives that focus on vulnerable road users, rural areas, intersections and high-risk behaviour among drivers.”

The committee also approved a plan to gradually implement 30 km/h speed limits in all gateway speed limit areas within core residential neighbourhoods and in the ByWard Market during today’s regular Transportation committee meeting.

In other work, the committee extended several measures to relax regulations in support of outdoor dining and vending within the city’s right of way.

“These measures were established in 2020 as part of the city’s COVID-19 economic recovery efforts and would be extended until the end of 2021,” staff said. “They include temporarily closing sections of roads to accommodate patio expansions and physical distancing, removing capacity restrictions for café seating and permitting pop-up retail vending within the right of way.”

The approved measures would also introduce a closing time of 2 a.m. for all patios and outdoor café seating.

The committee approved the functional design for shared transit priority and high occupancy vehicle lanes on Blair Road between Blair Station on O-Train Line 1 and Innes Road, to improve transit travel time and service reliability.

“The plan includes a redesign to make this section of road a complete street, to provide better connectivity and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists,” staff said.

 Recommendations from today’s meeting will rise to Council on Wednesday, March 10. For more information on city programs and services, visit ottawa.ca or call 311 (TTY: 613-580-2401).