With new speed bumps added all the time to Toronto's streets and seldom removed, the city is starting to reach speed bump saturation.
There are so many speed bumps already in the city that Transportation Services manager Nazzareno Capano said the number of applications for new bumps is going down.
Previously, the city installed up to 200 each year, a number that is down to just 30-40 today.
"From my experience, I think Toronto is the speed bump capital of Canada," said Capano.
Though the "speed humps," as they are officially called, can be a nuisance, they can also serve a valuable purpose.
Recently, residents in Harbord Village, north of College Street, were concerned about a neighbourhood laneway where motorists were speeding and failing to stop at a stop sign.
"We were nervous and wanted to make sure that everybody was safe," said resident Jodie Miller. "Often, people walked by and cars almost hit them."
Miller talked to her councillor and organized a petition signed by one quarter of the affected people in the community. Three months after it was approved by council, there is a new bump in the laneway.
But getting the requisite number of signatures doesn't mean a speed bump will automatically go in.
For traffic-calming measures to be considered on a local street, there have to be a minimum of 1,000 cars passing over it per day. For collector roads, there must be 2,500 cars per day.
But, if more than 8,000 cars pass over a street during the day, the city says that's too many drivers to install traffic-calming measures.
The posted speed limit and the grade of the road, as well as the ability of first responders to get through, are also taken into consideration.
"We consider impacts on EMS, fire services and police services, to be able to do their jobs," said Capano.
Each speed bump on the road costs $3,000. A bump in a laneway costs $1,200.
With files from CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson
