Traffic Safety

In April 2019, Town of Lincoln Council passed a resolution regarding truck safety in Lincoln. Traffic safety and speed reduction strategies are a high priority for the Town, and we continue to respond to residents' concerns about improving road safety throughout the community.

The Town’s Transportation Master Plan developed a comprehensive Traffic Calming Policy to guide the implementation process of traffic calming/speed reduction measures for the Town. The ultimate goal of these actions is to improve the livability of neighbourhoods for all users.

Staff will be providing regular updates to Council through the Committee of the Whole, currently on a quarterly basis.

Staff will continue to work closely with the Niagara Region, Niagara Regional Police Service, the Ministry of Transportation and other agencies on multi-stakeholder and multi-agency strategies to ensure improving traffic and truck safety remains a high priority in Lincoln.

The Town has implemented several traffic safety initiatives throughout Lincoln, including community safety zones, pedestrian crossovers, and speed humps. To read more about these initiatives, see below. Detailed maps of the traffic safety measures implemented in Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3, and Ward 4 are available in the Documents section on the right side of this page.

Community Safety zones are areas of a roadway designated under the Highway Traffic Act where public safety is of special concern. These zones are often located in areas close to community centers, such as recreational facilities, schools, nursing homes, and more.
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Signage is placed along the community safety zones to alert drivers to the beginning and end of a roadway designated as a community safety zone. The rules of the road do not change within a Community Safety Zone, but fines for improper roadway use (speeding, traffic signal violations, etc.) are increased and often doubled.
The goal of a community safety zone is to modify driver behaviour to improve safety on these sections of road for all users.
The Town of Lincoln has amended the Traffic by-law to designate the following areas of roadway as Community Safety Zones:
- Connor Drive (Mountain Street to Stadelbauer Drive)
- Fourth Avenue (Nineteenth Street to Jordan Road)
- Serena Boulevard (Ontario Road to Alyssa Drive)
- Victoria Avenue (north of King Street)
- William Street (King Street to Robbie Burns Drive)
A pedestrian crossover is a type of crossing that requires vehicles to stop and allow pedestrians to cross the road. They are typically installed on low to moderate volume roadways with speeds at or below 60km/hr.
Pedestrian crossovers have specific pavement markings and crossing signs. Pedestrian crossovers may have illuminated overhead lights / warning signs and pedestrian push buttons.
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At a pedestrian crossover, pedestrians have the right-of-way. Drivers and cyclists must stop behind the yield line and wait until the pedestrian has completely crossed the road and is safely on the sidewalk before proceeding.
All road users (pedestrians, motorists, cyclists) must obey pedestrian crossover rules at all times of the day and night.
Motorist Responsibilities
- Be prepared to stop your vehicle for pedestrians as you approach a pedestrian crossover
- Be alert upon approach of a pedestrian crossover
- Stop your vehicle behind the yield line
- Make eye contact so the pedestrian sees you
- Wait until pedestrian completely crosses the road before proceeding
Pedestrian Responsibilities
- Be alert to other road users before entering a pedestrian crossover
- Indicate intention to cross
- Wait for traffic to stop
- Make eye contact to ensure drivers see you
Cyclist Responsibilities
- When riding with traffic, follow rules for motorists
- When crossing, follow rules for pedestrians; dismount and walk your bike across
Fines and Penalties
Motorists and cyclists may face a fine of $1,000.00 for disobeying the rules of a pedestrian crossover. Motorists may also face four demerit points.
In addition to these penalties, aggressive or careless drivers who put themselves and other road users (other motorists, pedestrians, cyclists) in danger may be charged with careless driving and will be subject to additional penalties and fines.
For more information regarding pedestrian safety, rules, and responsibilities at pedestrian crossings, visit the Ministry of Transportation website.
The Town installs speedhumps on areas of road that have received complaints from area residents regarding the speed, the volume of shortcutting traffic, and driver non-compliance.
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Permanent speedhumps were installed in 2022 at the following locations:
- Four on Stadelbauer Drive between King Street and Highland Park Drive
- Two on Highland Park Drive between Stadelbauer Drive and Kayla Street
The Town will continue to accept input from residents regarding other areas of traffic safety concern. Temporary speed humps may be installed throughout Lincoln based upon community input and concern. In these cases, further investigation into the area of concern will be completed to determine if any permanent traffic safety measures should be installed.
The Town installed the following temporary speedhumps in late spring 2022:
- Two on Highland Park Drive between Kayla Drive and Stadelbauer Drive
- Five on Drake Avenue between Ontario Street and and Dufferin Avenue
Since 2015 the Town has been using Digital Speed Feedback Signs to track speeds on community roads in order to determine if further speed reduction strategies are necessary. The current locations of the 2022 Digital Speed Signs can be found here. The results of the 2021 Digital Speed Signs can be found here (Please note that the results reflect the speed at which 85% of traffic traveling on the road is moving at or below).

Do you have questions about traffic safety in Lincoln? Get involved on our SpeakUpLincoln page today!