Speeding and aggressive driving (e.g. following too closely; failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign or red light; running a red light; failing to yield the right of way to pedestrians; and blocking crosswalks) in Burlington are serious concerns. The city's Traffic Services section works closely with the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) on these and other road-safety issues. Some of the tools used to help address speeding and aggressive driving include:
Police Enforcement - Residents can submit a traffic complaint to the Halton Regional Police Service that involves a reoccurring issue at a specific location(s). The traffic complaint should outline the location(s) within Burlington, what the traffic issue is, the frequency, time of day and any observations made by the complainant. These reports will be reviewed by the District Response Unit and will be investigated.
Halton Community Road Watch Program - ROAD WATCH is a community-driven program encouraging anonymous reporting of incidents of dangerous and/or aggressive driving involving a specific vehicle(s). Details of ROAD WATCH incidents are documented using the ROAD WATCH online report form.
Driver Feedback Sign Program - Through the Driver Feedback Sign (DFS) program, residents may submit a request to have driver feedback signs installed on their street for a two or three week period. Designed to encourage speed limit compliance and improve road safety, driver feedback signs alert drivers of their speed by digitally displaying the speed of an oncoming vehicle.
Streets eligible for the DFS program must have one travelling lane in each direction and must have a suitable location available to install the DFS (e.g. light standard or utility pole). For more information about this program or to submit a DFS request, please call 905-335-7600 x 7671 or email traffic@burlington.ca.
Traffic Calming Measures - When the tools mentioned above are not successful in addressing speeding and aggressive driving concerns, residents may request the installation of traffic calming measures.
Traffic calming is the installation of physical measures designed to alter driver behaviour and reduce the speed and volume of traffic. The city uses a variety of measures to calm traffic, including:
- raised crosswalks
- speed humps
- split speed humps
- traffic circles
- raised centre median islands
- road narrowing
- pavement markings
Note: a four-way stop is not a traffic calming measure.
Residents interested in traffic calming are required to submit their name, address and contact information (phone and email) to traffic@burlington.ca or contact 905-335-7600 x 7671.