The District is committed to ensuring roadways in West Vancouver are safe for use by all ages and abilities. Traffic calming measures help make West Vancouver safer. Measures include roundabouts and traffic circles, landscaped centre medians, on-street parking and no-vehicle-access areas.
Vertical Deflection (Speed Humps, Raised Crosswalks, and Speed Cushions)
In 2018, West Vancouver Council approved a Speed Humps and Other Vertical Deflections Policy allowing the use of speed humps and similar road treatments to slow vehicles and calm traffic in West Vancouver. The policy defines circumstances in which vertical deflections (speed humps, speed cushions, and raised crosswalks) can be used.
Speed humps will only be considered for locations that meet criteria outlined in the policy. Priority locations for installing speed humps are identified based on speed and traffic data and are informed by West Vancouver’s Pedestrian Network Study, which was adopted by Council in 2017.
Roundabouts and Traffic Circles: How to Use a Roundabout
- Approach
- reduce your speed
- watch for people using the crosswalk and be ready to stop
- watch for signs that may help you find your exit
- Yield
- yield to traffic already in the roundabout coming from your left
- Enter
- enter the roundabout to your right (a counter-clockwise direction) when there is a gap in traffic and it is safe to do so
- continue until you reach your exit
- Exit
- never come to a full stop in a roundabout, unless traffic conditions require it
- use your right turn signal to let others know where you plan to exit
- exit slowly
- as you exit, watch for pedestrians crossing your exit lane and be ready to stop
- if you miss your exit, keep going around the roundabout until you reach it again
Benefits of Roundabouts and Traffic Circles
- Safety
- Roundabouts provide a safer way through an intersection because:
- traffic moves more slowly through the intersection
- there are no left turns in front of oncoming vehicles
- Traffic Flow
Since roundabouts do not have stop signs or traffic lights, drivers have fewer stops and delays. - Reduced Noise and Air Pollution
Roundabouts improve the quality of life for people living nearby. Slow-moving traffic makes less noise than traffic that must stop and start, speed up and brake. Vehicles don't idle at stop signs or traffic lights, and fewer idling cars mean fewer exhaust fumes.