From Highways to Neighbourhood Streets

Many of our streets are designed less like neighbourhood spaces and more like mini-highways—encouraging drivers to speed rather than slow down. Strong Towns challenges this mindset by promoting design choices that prioritize safety over speed. Narrower travel lanes, for example, don’t just calm traffic—they also create room for sidewalks or painted walking paths. The removal of centerlines can shift a road’s character from fast and intimidating to one that feels like a place where people live, not just pass through. Add in trees, bump-outs, brick textures, or even simple on-street parking, and suddenly drivers are nudged to pay closer attention.

Change You Can See Overnight

Not every solution requires years of planning or millions of dollars. Across North America, communities are proving that tactical, low-cost changes can transform how people move through a space—often in a single day. In Medicine Hat, Alberta, orange cones placed at a school crosswalk immediately signalled to drivers that children were present. Later, the cones gave way to painted lines and bollards. In Denver, a crossing guard used cones to “daylight” intersections, making pedestrians far more visible than expensive flashing lights ever could. Temporary walking areas near schools—set up with nothing more than paint, cones, or planters—can be installed in the morning and win over parents by the afternoon.

When Streets Become Social Spaces

It’s not just about infrastructure; it’s about behaviour. The more people walk, cycle, and linger on a street, the more drivers expect to see them—and the more cautious they become. Strong Towns emphasizes fostering this “safety in numbers.” Events like street markets, block parties, or group bike rides to school (“bike buses”) aren’t just fun community activities. They rewire expectations, showing residents and drivers alike that streets are shared spaces, not high-speed corridors.

The 30-Kilometre Promise

One principle underpins it all: lower speeds save lives. At 30 km/h, crashes are often survivable. At 50 or 65 km/h, they’re not. Posting a lower limit isn’t enough; the street itself has to tell drivers to slow down. A wide, straight road with no trees or activity will always invite speeding, no matter what the sign says. Safe streets demand design that makes fast driving feel uncomfortable—and slower speeds feel natural.

Why This Matters During the School Year

Back-to-school season brings these lessons into sharp focus. Children and parents navigating busy morning and afternoon rushes are particularly vulnerable. Quick, low-cost changes—cones, paint, or a temporary pedestrian zone—can be rolled out immediately, offering protection long before a full construction project is funded or finished. At the same time, permanent design shifts that favour slower driving and stronger street life can create lasting safety for the youngest and most vulnerable members of our communities.