Edmonton credits lower speed limit for a major decrease in crashes

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Edmonton has seen a 25% decrease in the number of crashes and a 31% reduction in overall injuries and fatalities since the implementation of the default 40 km/h speed limit came into effect in August 2021.

In a release sent Thursday, the City of Edmonton said that the new speed limit, which applies to most residential and downtown streets, was put in place as a safety measure and to give people more time to react to the unexpected and prevent crashes.

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The City said it was successful, based on a speed and crash analysis it conducted to determine the impact the new speed limit had.

It also increased awareness and compliance among drivers, according to the City.

“The 40 km/h default speed is just one tool the City’s Safe Mobility Strategy focuses on to make our roads more safe and accessible for all Edmontonians,” Christie Pelletier, the City’s director of safe mobility, said in a statement.

“To build on our success and continue our progress towards Vision Zero, we launched the Towards 40 Program to increase compliance on some 40km/h streets and encourage safer speeds across the city.”

The speed evaluation included collecting speed surveys at over 200 locations across Edmonton, before and after implementing the speed reduction, to understand how driving behaviours have changed.

The findings, the City said, showed a number of positive outcomes, including a decrease in speed ranging from 3.2-8.1 km/hr at more than half the survey locations, a 25% reduction in the number of crashes, and a 42% reduction in injuries and fatalities for people walking, cycling, or using e-scooters, among other things.

The City also reopened the intake for 2024 Vision Zero Street Labs and said it continues to provide tools and resources to residents, schools, and stakeholders to support safe and liveable streets.

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