Vision Zero Street Labs

Vision Zero Street Labs create an opportunity to trial adaptable traffic safety solutions on your streets.

Vision Zero Street Labs are an easy way to work with the City to improve street safety at the neighbourhood level using adaptable traffic calming measures.

Each Street Lab is tailored to the unique needs of the community in order to creatively address community problems such as speeding, short-cutting and other unsafe driving behaviours.

How Does A Street Lab Work?

At the start of a Street Lab, community members will share their lived experiences and traffic safety concerns with the City. From there, City staff will create a plan based on this input and their engineering expertise, and install adaptable traffic-calming measures designed to address the issues on the street.

View the program overview for more details.

Let's Get Started

Let’s figure out together if a Street Lab is the right approach for you. Any resident or group can indicate they are interested in a Street Lab for their neighbourhood.

Use the link below to tell us more about what’s happening in your neighbourhood, and we will contact you within 14 business days.

Get Started

Street Lab Installations

Street Labs use adaptable traffic calming measures that address specific traffic safety concerns on your street. Some of these measures may be installed in your neighbourhood!

Curb Extension
Parklet
Vibrant Crosswalk
Wayfinding Signs
Shared Street
Two Stage Crossing
Center Median
Speed Bump

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Vision Zero Street Labs?

Vision Zero Street Labs are an easy way to work with the City to bring traffic safety improvements to your neighbourhood.

During a Street Lab project the City seeks to understand the community’s lived experiences and traffic safety concerns, and then applies the expertise of City staff to trial tailored solutions.

What can Street Labs achieve or improve?

Vision Zero Street Labs provide a neighbourhood and residents with:

A forum to share their experiences on the street
An opportunity to trial new solutions using adaptable materials
New experiences and conversations around street safety and neighbourhood livability
Meaningful options to improve traffic safety on their street

What may be installed as part of a Vision Zero Street Lab?

The City is open to trialling new innovative solutions and evaluating their effectiveness. There are known adaptable traffic calming tools that can help address specific traffic safety concerns. Some of these measures may be incorporated into your neighbourhood’s Street Lab Plan, depending on your neighbourhood’s unique characteristics.

Curb Extensions
Parklets
Shared Streets
Vibrant Crosswalks
Wayfinding Signs
Two Stage Crossings
Centre Medians
Adaptable Speed Humps

How long can a project last?

The City will begin to evaluate the project approximately three months after installation by collecting resident feedback and/or traffic monitoring data. This will give the community time to experience the changes, learn, and adjust if needed. The City will then determine if future adjustments are needed to the project.

How do community members support the City?

All community members can support the Street Lab project by participating in the engagement opportunities and sharing their experiences and expertise. There are two specific roles in the Community Ambassador and Project Advisory Team that have additional functions.

Role of Community Ambassador:

Notify the City that you would like a Street Lab
Participate in the Project Advisory Team - a central point of contact for the City on the Street Lab Plan
Help the City share information about the Street Lab with the community

Role of Project Advisory Team:

Share lived experience and neighbourhood history
Help the City share information about the Street Lab with the community
Encourage neighbours to participate in engagement opportunities
Act as a central point of contact for the City for the Street Lab Plan
Champion plan through the neighbourhood
Provide feedback to the City as needed

How does the City support Street Lab projects?

Manage project applications and determine if a Street Lab can be explored
Provide dedicated City staff to support each Street Lab project to help get started, plan the project, and help determine how to best engage with your neighbours
Attend events and meetings to understand perspectives and lived experience
Keep the neighbourhood informed throughout the process
Collect community insights about residents’ lived experiences and traffic safety concerns
Report back to the community on what was heard during the engagement process.
Share ideas and best practices, engineering expertise and lessons learned
Create and decide on the Street Lab plan based on Safe Mobility best practices, traffic safety data, technical expertise, and taking into account the lived experiences community members have shared
Install and evaluate the Street Lab

Who can apply?

Any resident or group can indicate they are interested in a Street Lab for their community.

How will it be decided whether a Street Lab will be explored?

The City will consider all applications using decision criteria such as:

If there is planned construction, other traffic safety upgrade(s) and/or Neighbourhood Renewal activity in the neighbourhood;
Equity factors such as neighbourhood demographics, community gathering areas, crash history, and essential services such as schools, playgrounds, seniors centres, or medical facilities; and,
Whether the application is best suited for a Street Lab or for a different Safe Mobility program

Why are these measures staying up over the winter?

Adaptable traffic calming measures are an opportunity to learn how we can work together to improve safety and livability
As a winter city, understanding how the installations operate and influence street safety and livability is an important part of this learning process
These measures are required to continue supporting safety in communities that have had concerns about traffic, such as speeding, short-cutting, and crossing safely

What adaptable measures will stay up over the winter?

Adaptable pedestrian/bike lanes
Centre medians
Curb extensions and parklets
Speed humps
Speed tables

What can I expect to see from the City in terms of snow clearing around adaptable measures?

Snow will accumulate on and around these measures. This is expected and will not interfere with safe road use.

Adaptable Bike/Pedestrian Lanes

Fully divided lanes will be maintained by bike lane crews. Sections or partial areas will be addressed by the adjacent roadway clearing.
Centre medians: Snow will be pushed towards the boulevards and cleared with the rest of the windrow if they are removed.

Curb Extensions and Parklets

There will be snow inside and on top of them. Snow will be cleared around the curb extension/parklet, but there would be no removal of snow from on and within these installations. Residents should not be conducting any activity within parklets.

Rubber Speed Humps

These areas will be cleared with the adjacent road. Truck plows will work to provide a clean and passable surface. If residual snow is left, additional clearings can be requested.

Where can I report damage or misplaced installations?

If any issues are experienced with these adaptable traffic measures, we encourage residents to contact 311
Once the City becomes aware that maintenance is required, it should take 1-2 business days to complete the repair, weather and severity of repairs permitting
If there is severe damage during the winter, replacements or repairs will need to wait until the spring

How Does A Street Lab Work?

Let's Get Started

Street Lab Projects

Street Lab Installations

Frequently Asked Questions

For More Information