With citywide street sweeping well underway, City staff have started reinstating temporary traffic calming measures, refreshing pavement markings, and conducting seasonal traffic signal maintenance.
Temporary Traffic Calming (TTC) and Safety Measures: The Traffic Signs team has been hard at work this season. In addition to repairing winter damage to signage across the city, crews are actively installing flex stakes and new signs in our expanding suburban neighbourhoods. Since January, we have also been processing new Temporary Traffic Calming (TTC) location requests. In 2024, in addition to reinstating 5,300 existing TTC measures, we installed 168 new flex stake locations, 99 new speed display boards, and 79 new thermoplastic and pavement markings. Reinstatement of flex stakes and bicycle delineators typically begins in late April/early May, and this year is no exception! As always, it is essential to coordinate with our partners in Roads and Parking Services to ensure that street sweeping operations have been completed before we can install flex stakes and begin pavement markings. This step is crucial because street sweeping removes debris and keeps roads clean, which is vital for the safe and efficient installation of traffic calming measures and pavement markings.Pavement Marking Program: The City's annual pavement marking program also begins on streets where street sweeping operations are completed. This program involves refreshing all existing road markings, including intersections, cycling facilities, traffic calming measures, and pedestrian crossovers. Once pavement marking operations commence, our teams prioritize locations city-wide with safety concerns, and high traffic volume areas based on traffic count data. These priority locations include pedestrian crossovers (PXOs), signalized intersections, TTC markings, bike lane markings, rural unsignalized intersections, and arterial longitudinal markings. After addressing these priority areas, we move on to other pavement marking maintenance tasks. Most of this work is carried out at night when traffic is lighter, while in rural areas, some tasks are performed during the day, depending on weather conditions. This year, we will continue applying a more durable methyl methacrylate (MMA) paint, where possible, from June to September, as it requires warmer temperatures. Alternatively, an acetone-based paint truck is used throughout the pavement marking season. Additional equipment is used for specialty markings which includes the application of thermoplastic designs, such as TTC measures. Given Ottawa’s large geographical area, pavement marking operations are continuous throughout the summer and into the fall.
Traffic Signal Maintenance: The City's seasonal signal maintenance runs from April to October, during which we inspect and maintain traffic signals at over 1,200 intersections, as well as flashing beacons and school zone flashers across the city to ensure their reliability. You will see our teams at various traffic signals performing inspections, cleaning, and minor maintenance activities. As construction season ramps up around the city, you may see our teams assisting with various projects. We collaborate with our internal partners in the Infrastructure and Water Services Department and OC Transpo to support construction projects, including traffic signal requirements, intersection design, and intersection relocation.
How Residents Can Help
- Report missing or damaged flex stakes, pavement marking concerns, or traffic signal issues by calling 3-1-1 or submitting a Service Request at Ottawa.ca/311.
- Adhering to posted speed limits and being vigilant for pedestrians and cyclists, especially with the increase in active transportation during the warmer months.
- Check out the City's traffic webpage and stay up-to-date on all the latest and ongoing traffic impacts across the city.
