The Windsor Police Service notes that any of the options identified in the report carry with them financial and operational risks associated with increased enforcement demand. The magnitude of these risks has not yet been identified. Should Council choose to move forward with any of the options presented, additional consultation with police to identify the magnitude of these risks as well as mitigating strategies is recommended.
Financial Matters:
The estimated cost to implement a 40 km/h speed limit in residential neighbourhoods is summarized in Table 3. Costs given are high-level estimates and should be confirmed with detailed cost estimates, should Council choose to move forward with any of these options.
Table 2: Cost Estimates (all amounts approximate)
| Item | Option | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 – Sign 40 km/h residential streets individually | 2 – Reduce the City-wide default speed limit to 40 km/h | 3 – Implement speed areas in residential neighbourhoods | ||
| Initial cost | $1,043,000 | $734,000 | $1,088,000 | |
| Ongoing annual maintenance cost | $69,000 | $39,000 | $60,000 | |
The Signs & Markings operational budget does not have sufficient funds for this expenditure. Should Council direct that a speed limit reduction in residential neighbourhoods be implemented, a submission to budget will be required to provide Council with an opportunity to approve the allocation of the required funding.
For the “phaseable” options (Options 1 & 3), costs could be spread out over multiple years to reduce the budget required in any given year.
Options 1 & 3 would also allow costs to be reduced by implementing the speed limit reduction only in portions of the City (e.g. where resident support is greatest) rather than City-wide, should Council so choose.
Impacts on School Neighbourhood Policy Implementation
A widespread speed limit reduction to 40 km/h would reduce the total capital cost to implement the School Neighbourhood Policy by $1,986,000. If the speed limit reduction were applied to only certain portions of the City, the cost savings would be reduced.
In the 2020 Capital Budget, a total of $797,800 is included in the forecast for the School Neighbourhood Implementation project (OPS-001-18), with $307,800 forecast for 2028+ and the remainder forecast for 2022-2027.