RICHMOND HILL — In an effort to improve road safety and respond to long-standing concerns about speeding in residential areas, Richmond Hill Council has approved a broad reduction of speed limits across multiple neighbourhood streets. The standard limit on many local roads will drop from 50 km/h to 40 km/h as part of the city’s 2025–2026 traffic-safety program.
Streets affected
According to council documents, the following streets are among those scheduled for new speed-limit signage:
Arten Avenue (Regent St → Creekview Ave)
Betony Drive (Brockdale St → Glade Dr)
Blackforest Drive (Regatta Ave → Yonge St)
Centre Street East (Bayview Ave → Yonge St)
Creekview Avenue (Arten Ave → Elgin Mills Rd W)
Farmstead Road (Bayview Ave → Forestwood St)
Glade Drive (Betony Dr → Heron Hollow Ave)
Glenarden Crescent (Strathearn Ave)
Leyburn Avenue (Brookside Rd → Nine Mile Lane)
McCallum Drive (Bathurst St → Don Head Village Blvd)
Okanagan Drive (Carrville Rd → Shaw Blvd)
Selwyn Road (Gamble Rd → Jefferson Sideroad)
Springbrook Drive (Bayview Ave → Grey Alder Ave)
Stephen Street (Shaw Blvd → Weldrick Rd W)
Strathearn Avenue (16th Ave → Spadina Rd)
Sunset Beach Road (eastern limit → Yonge St)
Worthington Avenue (Bloomington Rd → Yonge St)
New signs reflecting the limit changes will begin appearing as part of the city’s next traffic-safety rollout.
Council noted that the initiative supports a broader effort to enhance safety near parks, schools, trail connections and dense residential clusters. The city also plans to introduce additional measures such as radar speed-message boards, pedestrian crossovers and targeted traffic-calming infrastructure in select areas.
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Why the city is lowering limits
Richmond Hill staff told council that many of the affected streets have long been the subject of resident complaints about speeding, cut-through traffic and near-misses involving pedestrians and cyclists. Lower posted limits, staff say, are the first step in making neighbourhood roads feel safer and more predictable.
However, council also acknowledged research showing that a sign change on its own rarely produces large reductions in actual driving speeds. In most North American jurisdictions, lowering posted limits without altering road design typically produces only modest decreases — often just one or two kilometres per hour on average.
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Does changing the sign actually slow drivers?
Experts broadly agree that drivers respond more to road design than to signs. Wide, straight residential streets encourage faster driving regardless of the posted limit. Without visual cues, physical narrowing or calming features, drivers often continue travelling at speeds they feel are “comfortable,” not necessarily legal.
Traffic-safety studies consistently show that real reductions in vehicle speed tend to come from:
Narrower lanes
Speed cushions or raised crosswalks
Curb extensions
Chicanes or gentle curves
Neighbourhood-gateway treatments
Frequent pedestrian crossings
Visible speed-feedback signs
Consistent enforcement
In other words, signs set expectations, but design controls behaviour.
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What Richmond Hill may need next
The city’s traffic-safety strategy already hints at a multi-step plan. With the speed-limit reductions now approved, the next phases will likely involve targeted physical redesigns where speeding remains a problem.
For meaningful impact, Richmond Hill will likely need:
Ongoing traffic-calming installations, not just signage
Strategic placement of speed-display boards
Additional pedestrian infrastructure
Selective enforcement or automated systems where permitted
Public education about why speeds are being lowered
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Conclusion
Richmond Hill’s move to lower speed limits on neighbourhood roads is an important first step toward safer, more livable streets. But the evidence is clear: signs alone are rarely enough. Real success will depend on whether the city follows through with the physical design changes and enforcement strategies needed to match the new limits.