Speed limit reduction and community safety zone in Beaverton

Whitby, Ontario – In support of Durham Vision Zero, the Regional Municipality of Durham, in collaboration with the Township of Brock, will be installing 40 kilometres/hour (km/h) posted speed limits and a new community safety zone in Beaverton.

Where: The 40 km/h speed limit signs will be installed on Simcoe Street (Regional Road 15), from Mara Road (Regional Road 23) to John Street, and on Osborne Street/Mara Road (Regional Road 23) from Bay Street to 165 metres north of King Street West, in Beaverton.

The new community safety zone will be on Osborne Street/Mara Road, from 185 metres south of Wood Street to 125 metres north of Franklin Street. There is an existing community safety zone on Simcoe Street between Osborne Street and 475 metres east of Madill Street.

When: The posted speed limit reductions and community safety zone are expected to be installed by December 19. Unfavourable weather conditions may impact the installation schedule. 

Why: The speed limit reduction aims to improve safety for all road users. Aggressive driving, including speeding, was identified as one of eight emphasis areas in Durham’s Vision Zero Strategic Road Safety Action Plan, which aims to reduce and ultimately eliminate all fatalities and injuries caused by collisions on our road system.

Speed is a contributing factor in approximately one-third of fatal collisions in Canada. Reducing speed is one of the best ways to reduce the frequency and severity of collisions in our community. Speed limits are not guidelines – they are laws.

All Regional Roads posted as 40 km/h will be co-designated as community safety zones and permit the use of automated speed enforcement (ASE). The Region of Durham’s ASE program works by capturing images of vehicles that exceed the posted limit. The pictures are stored and reviewed by a Provincial Offences Act Officer and, if warranted, a notice of the offence (fine) will be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle within 30 days, with no demerit points issued. Fines are only given to vehicles travelling over the speed limit.

Note: To learn more about Durham Region’s Vision Zero plan, visit durham.ca/VisionZero. More information on ASE is available at durham.ca/ASE.

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For media inquiries, please contact Corporate Communications.