Q&A - Distance Between Residential Speed Signs

Question: Q&A Image Can you please tell me if there is a standard or exact distance that residential speed signs should have between them? or how many per block there should be? Anything related to these sort of questions.

image of neighbourhood street signs for vision zero

Residential Speed Limits

Residential area speed limits, more often than not, are set at 50 km/h. There is no need for speed signs in this case as there is a blanket municipal speed limit set in the Motor Vehicle Act:

Speed limits

146(1) Subject to this section, a person must not drive or operate a motor vehicle on a highway in a municipality or treaty lands at a greater rate of speed than 50 km/h, and a person must not drive or operate a motor vehicle on a highway outside a municipality at a greater rate of speed than 80 km/h.

If the speed is to be set at other than 50 km/h, a sign must be posted to say so.

Guidelines for Speed Signs

The Manual of Standard Traffic Signs and Pavement Markings published by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure suggests that:

On urban streets, longitudinal positioning may have to be reduced due to limited block length, or additional advance warning signs may be required due to intervening public access points. Signs should be positioned so that they are not hidden by parked vehicles.

Where a regulation or warning extends for a considerable distance, signs should be repeated.

As a general rule, two signs on separate posts should be erected a minimum of 90 m apart (but no closer than 60 m) where the speed limit is 70 km/h or greater, and at least 30 m apart in lower speed areas. Exceptions to this rule should be kept to a minimum as two signs placed close together are difficult to read.

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That's it. While many…

That's it. While many municipalities exercise their right to create their own speed limits (both for streets and back alleys) the absence of a sign certainly doesn't indicate the absence of a limit; though if one was to receive a ticket for exceeding 50 km/h the first detail you might want to note is whether it was written under the Provincial Motor Vehicle Act or under the authority of the local municipality.

I live on the North Shore, and every time you cross the boundary between the City of NV and the District of NV, you'll pass a sign (or signs, because of that back alley thing) advising of the 'new' speed limit, even though it might be exactly the same as 'old' one, and although they're identical, and also the same as the provincial law.

Unless I'm mistaken, one municipality that doesn't have their own bylaw is Vancouver City; they simply rely on, and enforce, the municipal law. Probably saves them a bunch of money from not having to put up any signs (I just did a quick Google Earth check, and sure enough I couldn't find any on the west side of Boundary Road). This however explains why, when they raise the posted limit (as on Burrard Bridge, for instance), they also put up a black and white regulatory sign at the other end to indicate where that limit is no longer applicable; without troubling to advise of what the limit in effect at that point has changed to. It's unnecessary.