It’s now been five months since those speed cameras were turned off across Ontario and in Waterloo Region, and now, the City of Cambridge is looking to develop and plan out the traffic calming measures that will be going in their place.
At a recent council meeting, city staff made a presentation to councillors, showing the options that have been drawn up to slow drivers down through their 2026 Speed Management Action Plan.
While the move comes in the wake of those now-absent speed cameras, council previously approved the initial steps of the Speed Management Program back in 2019.
The intention of the program is to “Establish a level of service, follow a consistent methodology for review of locations where speeding is a concern,” and to “develop an annual action plan.”
That included a wide range of different initiatives, including radar speed displays, selective traffic enforcement through Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS), safe driving signage, speed cushions, and more.
Speed cushions, specifically, were a large topic covered during the council meeting, with staff going into the details on both seasonal and permanent options that are expected to be implemented throughout the year.
“Seasonal speed cushions to be piloted on Beaverdale Rd and Guelph Ave,” the presentation stated, showing they’ll be installed in the second quarter of the year.
“Permanent Speed cushions on Grand Ridge Drive, Preston Parkway and Saginaw Parkway,” are to be installed in Q3 or Q4 of 2026.
While the presentation worked to show the options that had been developed so far, some councillors, including Adam Cooper, wanted to know why the city had opted for speed cushions, which leave gaps in between on those impacted roadways, versus full-length speed bumps.
“I understand that there may be a bit of a visual encouragement to slow down, but again, I know you can just turn slightly to the left or the right, and you’re going to completely skip it,” Cooper stated.
City staff argued that those gaps offered by speed cushions are needed for larger and emergency vehicles to pass through, pointing to the larger speed impacts seen for smaller sedans, trucks, and other private vehicles.
While councillors were active in questioning and verifying the information contained in the report developed by city staff, many pointed to the overarching benefits and the due diligence that has been seen in collecting the data.
“I appreciate the fact that the studies are all data-driven, so when we have these results implemented, we know it’s not the result of any subjective or off-the-cuff or improvised emotional responses to events in the community,” said Councillor Scott Hamilton.
“These are from an aggregation of data that shows us over the long term that these results will be implemented effectively.”
Councillors agreed to move forward with the steps proposed in the presentation, with Councillor Corey Kimpson saying it’s what the community has been asking for when it comes to safe roadways in Cambridge.
“We should also take their concerns to heart and look into whether or not there’s something we can do to improve it for them,” said Kimpson.
“At the end of the day, it’s the residents in our community who need to feel safe in their communities.”
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