Kingston’s Quiet Streets pilot program ready to launch

The Kingston Quiet Streets pilot initiative is set to launch on the week beginning Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, according to the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation.

The project, which aims to create corridors that connect neighbourhoods in downtown Kingston (including the Williamsville, Sydenham and King’s Town Districts) to “essential services, the downtown core, parks, trails, and the waterfront, all while allowing safe space for two-metre physical distancing,” the Coalition said in an email on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020.

Kingston City Council voted unanimously in support of having the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation to take the lead on this initiative at their meeting held Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2020. The Quiet Streets pilot will operate until Friday, Nov. 13, 2020, the Coalition said. The streets involved in the active transportation corridor are: Mack Street, Albert Street, Earl Street and Clergy Street.

According to the Coalition’s website, “quiet streets” are those corridors that “prioritize non-motorized road users through the systematic placement of traffic barriers designed to reduce and slow traffic.” The Coalition states that quiet streets are normally implemented on residential streets that are “already desirable routes for walking, cycling, and rolling,” thereby increasing engagement in active transportation while also allowing access to key destinations outside of residents’ neighbourhoods.

Residents on Quiet Streets and their visitors will still be able access their street, driveways, and on-street parking spots, and access for taxis, emergency vehicles, waste collection, and deliveries will be maintained.

The Quiet Streets here in Kingston will use construction-style barriers and ‘local traffic only’ signs. The Coalition will analyze data and feedback to determine if additional phases or expansion are feasible.

In implementing the Quiet Streets pilot project, the Coalition for Active Transportation is seeking volunteers and donations to help see the project to fruition. According to the Coalition, the following resources are needed:

• Access to trucks to transport the equipment from the City of Kingston warehouse on Division Street.
• Volunteers to help with the assembly and installation of the signage and barriers on each block along the route.
• “Street Stewards” to “help be the eyes and ears” for a few blocks along the routes. Stewards will do daily checks to make sure the equipment is in place.
• Volunteers to help organize and host a kick-off event.

For more information on the project, volunteer opportunities, and how to donate, visit the Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation’s website here.