City will drop speed limit on Red Hill Valley Parkway starting Monday

The City of Hamilton will reduce the speed limit on both sides of the Red Hill Valley Parkway (RHVP) between Dartnall Road and Greenhill Avenue to 80km/hr beginning Monday, May 17.

The speed limit on the RHVP north of Greenhill Avenue is already set at 80km/hr, so this change means that the speed limit on the entire length of the RHVP will now be 80km/hr between the Lincoln M. Alexander Parkway and the Queen Elizabeth Way, the city said in a news release.

According to the city, the speed limit on the northbound lanes of the RHVP shifts from 90km/hr to 80km/hr on a downhill section, which can make it difficult for motorists and drivers of large trucks to slow down effectively.

"Changing the speed limit to 80km/hr beginning at the top of the hill will facilitate compliance with the posted speed limit," the new release states.

Hamilton Police Services will be enforcing the new speed limit for the entire length of the RHVP beginning Monday.

Motorists may notice some rolling closures on the RHVP over the weekend of May 15 and May 16 while crews install new signage on the RHVP.

Over the past several years, the city has been focused on traffic safety initiatives under the Vision Zero umbrella. This has included campaigns related to speeding, distracted driving, pedestrian crossovers, roundabout safety, railway safety, neighbourhood speed reductions, winter driving, community safety zones and more.

The city said speeding in excess of the posted speed limit is generally responsible for a high percentage of injuries and fatalities resulting from motor vehicle collisions.

It says controlling vehicle speed can prevent collisions from occurring and can reduce the severity of injury when they do occur, especially when vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists are involved.