Traffic and Signage

The City of Westmount cares about the health and safety of its citizens, and is committed to maintaining the quality of life of its residents. The Transportation Advisory Committee, made up of municipal elected officials, City administrators and police officers from the sector, reviews requests from citizens, the administration or any other organization raising any needs or concerns.

Any duly completed application, with respect to speeding, traffic, mitigation requests, shutdowns, markings or parking problems, will be analyzed according to a rigorous process and will be discussed with the City’s Transportation Advisory Committee.

When required, the City may conduct studies and analysis, research solutions and coordinate projects, all in accordance with applicable laws, standards and policies.

Report a road safety problem to the SPVM

View the traffic and signage map

Note : In the event of a discrepancy between the data displayed and the signage in place, the signage in place takes precedence over that displayed on this map.

Transportation Advisory Committee

Traffic Request Process

The following guide was developed to facilitate and clarify the decisional process for all traffic and active transportation requests that are presented to the Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC). This includes but is not limited to the following to the following complaints and/or requests:

Speeding
Increased vehicular volumes and through traffic ;
Traffic calming measures
Traffic lights;
Stop signs
Signage and street marking
Parking

This guide was developed based on the principles outlined in Westmount’s’ Traffic Calming Guide as well as in the Master Traffic and Active Transportation Plan. As per these plans, the objective of the TAC is to assess and evaluate each request and, where applicable, implement an appropriate and corrective measure. The benefits of such measures are not limited to simply managing speeds and reducing traffic volumes, but can include positive impacts on air pollution, noise and vibrations, accidents and pedestrian safety.

Processing of Traffic Requests and Complaints

The following process will be used to analyze all traffic related requests and complaints. The process is also outlined in Figure 2.1.

Requests

All requests are to be submitted in writing to the TAC and must include the following information:

Description of issue(s);
Reason for the request;
Location of issue(s);
Time when issue(s) occurs;
Name, address and contact information of submitter.

The TAC may request additional information and/or conduct a site visit with the concerned stakeholders to better understand the problem.

In the event that a similar request was received, analyzed and closed by the TAC within the previous 24 months, the request will be reviewed to verify whether there has been a change in the site conditions or if the file pertains to a new safety concern. If there are no changes to report, the file will be closed and the requestor will be subsequently notified.

Prioritization

As numerous traffic requests and complaints are received, it is essential that each request be prioritized upon reception so that each file is analyzed based on need rather than a “first-come, first-served” basis. Therefore each request will be evaluated and rated according to the following criteria:

Priority no. 1: Safety

Is there an immediate danger to pedestrians, cyclists or motorists?
Is there a risk of injury or bodily harm?

Priority no. 2: Location of the problem

Proximity to schools and school zones;
Parks and playgrounds;
Areas with a high concentration of pedestrians;
Bike paths;
Commercial areas

Priority no. 3: Impact on Emergency services or City services

Fire and ambulance access
De-icing programs

Priority no. 4: Other requests

Although all requests will be evaluated, special attention will be given to files classified as priority no. 1 and 2.

Identification of applicable policies

The relevant policies and the context will be identified for the sector under study to ensure that proposed solutions are coherent. All decisions should be consistent with other policies (Westmount Planning Programme, Westmount Traffic and Active Transportation Master Plan, traffic calming guide etc.). In addition, the street hierarchy, speed limit, fire routes, transit routes, cycling, corridors and school zones will all be identified. For reference, this information is attached in annex xxx.

Data collection

The Public Works Department is responsible for all data collection. Data and studies will be considered valid for a period 24 months unless there is a significant change to the site conditions. Data will be collected between September 1st and May 31st and for a maximum of 5 days. This includes, radar and speed assessment surveys as well as traffic and volume counts.

Parking audits will be conducted a maximum of four times a day for five days over a period of two weeks.

Analysis and Identification of Issues

Relevant collected data will be analyzed by the City Administration. Any issue(s) will be identified, assessed and presented to the TAC. If the warrants outlined in section "Criteria and Warrants" are not met, the file will be closed and will remain closed for a period of 24 months. If either one or more warrants are met, the process will continue. Meeting minutes will be kept during each Committee meeting and will be forwarded to City Council.

Identification and Evaluation of Measures

Effective and applicable measures (if any) will be identified to be considered by the TAC. Other measures from best practice guides may also be considered from time to time.

Analysis of various issues should take into account possible impacts on adjacent streets. Potential measures will be broadly evaluated before being discussed and presented to concerned residents.

Possible measures will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Effectiveness of measure to address identified issue(s);
Impacts on adjacent streets (i.e. divert the problem onto another street);
Impacts on on-street parking;
Potential to improve the streetscape;
Sustainability opportunities.

Decision

The Committee will consider each request based on applicable policies, the analysis of the issue and other relevant information.

The Committee will then decide based on the criteria and considerations contained in section "Criteria and Warrants" whether a measure(s) is warranted or not. The Committee will inform City Council (via meeting minutes) and concerned residents of its decision. Any recommended measures will then be forwarded for funding.

Any measure on a street scheduled for major roadwork in the next three years will be deferred and combined to this scheduled roadwork. The request will end at this point if it has not been approved by the Committee after residents have been informed.

If the TAC determines that immediate action is required for safety reasons, the Committee will proceed with the implementation of a mitigating measure without first polling the residents.

Resident Polling

Residents on a street block on which one or more traffic calming measure(s) or a change in parking is being considered will be polled. Concerned residents and property owners will be informed by mail or email and given sufficient time to respond. Any measure not supported by 75% of responding residents will not be considered by the Committee. A minimum threshold of 50% of households must vote for the poll results to be considered valid.

Implementation

The Public Works Department will be responsible for the design and implementation of approved measures. A temporary measure may be installed before it becomes permanent to assess effectiveness (if applicable) or if implementation is deferred.

Follow-Up and Evaluation

Following implementation, the City will evaluate if the measure or measures are effective. If necessary, modifications will be implemented accordingly.

The following criteria and warrants will be used to assess the different traffic files:

Request and/or nature of file	Criteria and warrants used for evaluation	Additional parameters to consider	Data collection
Speeding Volume Requests for a traffic calming device	Traffic calming guide Traffic Master Plan 85th percentile speed must be at least 10 km/h above the posted speed limit Through traffic must represent at least 20% of daily or peak period volumes (local streets only) Cannot divert the problem onto another street Accident history	Location (i.e. school zone etc.) Street hierarchy Posted speed limit Fire route Street slope Emergency responders Operational constraints Scheduled for a reconstruction Resident support	Data collected over a maximum period of 5 days 24 hour period Peak times (am and pm) Data valid for 24 months
Requests for a speed hump	Traffic calming guide Speed hump policy 85th percentile speed must be at least 10 km/h above the posted speed limit Cannot be installed on streets with a slope ˃ 8% Cannot be installed on a curve Cannot be installed on arterials or the fire route	Location (i.e. school zone etc.) Street hierarchy Fire route Transit route Street slope Emergency responders Operational constraints Scheduled for a reconstructionResident support	Data collected over a maximum period of 5 days 24 hour period Data valid for 24 months
Requests for a traffic light	Refer to MTQ norms Tome V (chapter 8) Sept (7) critères à analyser	Street slope Geometry and symmetry of an intersection	Data collected over a maximum period of 5 days AM and PM vehicle counts
Requests for the installation of a stop sign	Refer to MTQ norms Tome V (chapter 2) 5 criteria for analysis	Geometry and symmetry of an intersection Traffic control and not a speed control device	Data collected over a maximum period of 5 days AM and PM vehicle counts
Requests for changes in signage and street marking	Refer to MTQ norms Tome V (chapter 2, 3 and 6) 5 criteria for analysis	Safety issue Location Impact on other streets Timeframe for completion (i.e. line painting is seasonal) Resident support	Site visit to validate request
Requests for speed display signs or radar trailers	Can be used as a data collection tool Used for new requests	Prioritization of streets Location Installation constraints	Speed display signs or radar trailers will be installed for a period of three weeks
Requests for changes to parking regulations	Refer to MTQ norms Tome V (chapter 2) Traffic master plan Policies	Location Impact on other streets & neighbourhood Resident support	Parking audit Data valid for 24 months

In addition, some specific warrants may need to be evaluated based on the type of measure that is being considered for implantation. These include:

Specific Measure Warrants

Resident Support

The support of at least 75% of responding impacted households and property owners is necessary

Emergency Response

Impacts on emergency vehicles cannot be significant. Emergency services will be consulted prior to implementing measures.

Operational constraints

Impacts on the City’s providing of essential services to residents cannot be significant (i.e. de-icing operations, snow clearing, etc.). Appropriate City staff will be consulted prior to implementing measures.

Transit

The STM will be consulted when measures are proposed on street segments with transit service to determine the impacts.
Street Grade Certain measures cannot be considered where grades are 8% or more