Bank Street is now 50 km/h. Why?
If you drive on Bank Street through South Keys, you’ve hopefully noticed some new signs indicating that the speed limit there is now 50 km/h.
How did we get here?
This stretch of Bank Street has sadly been host to some major collisions in the past six months, including:
- Two motorists and a police car colliding at Bank & Johnston, on November 2, 2024, resulting in a serious injury and a police car careening through one of the pedestrian islands
- A motorist striking a person cycling on the Bank Street bridge on November 8, 2024, resulting in severe injuries to the person cycling
- The tragic death of a person cycling after being struck by a motorist at Bank & Daze on May 25, 2025 (police are still seeking witnesses)
After the first crash, BSKC called upon Ward 10 Councillor Bradley to advocate for safety measures in this area. She shares her full support and has been working with the City on this. One of our calls to action from our letter was a reduction in the posted speed limit on Bank Street to 50 km/h, with associated design measures to reinforce those lower speeds. Subsequently, Councillor Bradley successfully carried a motion through City Council to enact this speed limit reduction, which was approved in March 2025.
Though details are still not known, the recent death at Bank & Daze is tragic. Everyone has a right to return home safely.
Why a reduced speed limit?
Speed kills. The greater the speed a vehicle is travelling, the more energy it imparts on another vehicle, cyclist, or pedestrian in a collision. When drivers are travelling faster, they also need more distance to come to a stop. Any reduction in speed will save lives. Here’s a helpful explainer graphic from the City of Guelph’s road safety plan:
Will people really drive 50?
This one is a challenge, as Bank Street has been engineered to support faster speeds, and simply changing a sign won’t have a big impact on people’s behaviour. That said, even if a posted speed limit reduction only achieves a small reduction in travel speeds, there are still tangible safety benefits, because as mentioned above, any reduction in speed will save lives.
The City has a project underway to add cycling facilities on this stretch of Bank Street as part of an upcoming resurfacing. We are hopeful that this project can include design measures to encourage the slower speeds and will be advocating for this when public consultation happens sometime this year.
Isn’t this just going to slow down commuters?
For many who use it, Bank Street is a quick route to travel through Ottawa’s south end, but this is just one of the street’s purposes. Many walk along Bank Street (especially over the bridge, where sidewalks are tight to the road) and even more cross Bank Street to access the mall and transit.
Consider a scenario where you never hit a red light along this 1.5 km stretch of Bank Street. At 60 km/h, you’d cover the distance in 90 seconds. At 50 km/h, this would take an extra 18 seconds. Is it worth an extra 18 seconds to make a real impact on the safety of people inside and outside of cars?
What’s next?
As mentioned, this is an important first step for improving safety on Bank Street, but much more work is needed. We are hopeful that the next opportunity will be the 2026 resurfacing of this street, where cycling facilities (and hopefully additional safety improvements) will be added. A safe Bank Street is essential not just for existing residents, but for supporting the transformation of South Keys Centre into a vibrant, walkable community hub that we can all be proud to have in Ottawa South.
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