Traffic Impact Studies in Windsor

Understanding the Transportation Requirements for Your Development

A Transportation Impact Study (TIS) evaluates how a proposed development will affect the surrounding transportation network and identifies improvements needed to accommodate future travel demand. In Windsor, the assessment considers vehicle traffic, intersection capacity, site access, road safety, public transit, pedestrians, cyclists and parking.

The City of Windsor requires transportation assessments for development applications that have the potential to adversely affect the transportation network. These studies help determine whether existing and planned infrastructure can accommodate new development and identify the improvements necessary to support safe and efficient transportation operations.

A TIS may be required in support of Official Plan Amendments, Zoning By-law Amendments, Plans of Subdivision, Site Plan applications and other planning applications, depending on the nature and location of the proposal.

What Does the TIS Process Involve?

1. Determining the Required Study Scope

The process begins with consultation with the City’s Transportation Planning staff to determine whether a full TIS or a more focused Transportation Statement is required. The study scope identifies the affected intersections, site accesses, analysis periods, forecast years and technical requirements.

The City considers the development’s expected traffic generation, access arrangements, existing operational deficiencies and potential safety concerns when determining the appropriate scope.

2. Reviewing Existing Transportation Conditions

The consultant documents existing roadways, intersections, traffic controls, transit routes, pedestrian connections, cycling facilities and access arrangements. Traffic counts, turning movements, signal timing, vehicle queues and collision records are reviewed as appropriate.

Background developments, existing traffic constraints and planned transportation improvements must also be considered to establish realistic future conditions.

3. Forecasting Development Traffic

The study estimates the number of trips generated by the proposed development, their distribution across the surrounding network and their impact on nearby intersections and roadways.

Trip-generation estimates generally follow the latest Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual. Where appropriate, surveys of comparable local developments or a first-principles approach may be accepted with City consultation.

For smaller, single-phase developments generating fewer than 500 peak-hour, peak-direction trips, the typical analysis scenarios include existing conditions, future background conditions five years into the future, and future total conditions with the development. Larger and phased developments may require additional analysis horizons and interim scenarios.

4. Evaluating Traffic Operations and Safety

The consultant evaluates intersection capacity, levels of service, delays, volume-to-capacity ratios and vehicle queues. The assessment also considers driveway access, sight distances, turning movements, storage-lane requirements and potential conflicts involving pedestrians, cyclists and transit users.

Where a proposed development may affect an identified high-collision location, an additional collision review may be required.

5. Identifying Mitigation Measures

Where deficiencies are identified, the TIS recommends appropriate improvements. These may include turning lanes, intersection modifications, signal timing adjustments, access restrictions, revised site circulation and pedestrian or cycling infrastructure.

The study must also consider how proposed improvements align with the City’s transportation planning policies and capital infrastructure programs.

6. Preparing and Submitting the Report

The final report documents the development, study area, traffic data, forecasts, analysis methodology, findings and recommended improvements. Supporting appendices include traffic counts, modelling outputs, warrant calculations and relevant technical references.

The TIS must be prepared under the responsibility of a qualified Professional Engineer licensed in Ontario, who must sign, stamp and date the report.

What Makes Windsor’s TIS Requirements Distinctive?

A defined 100-vehicle-trip threshold: A TIS may be required where a development is expected to generate 100 or more automobile trips during the development’s peak hour. However, developments generating fewer trips may still require an assessment based on access conditions, safety concerns or existing intersection deficiencies.

Additional requirements for infill development: Windsor specifically identifies infill development within existing residential areas as a potential TIS trigger where additional traffic could worsen existing conditions. This is particularly important for developers proposing higher-density residential redevelopment in established neighbourhoods. The City’s September 2025 review also introduced an enhanced focus on evaluating infill impacts and cumulative traffic conditions.

A Transportation Statement alternative: Where a full TIS trigger relates to a limited issue rather than significant trip generation, the City may accept a shorter Transportation Statement or technical memo. Examples include confirming low expected trip generation, addressing a specific sightline deficiency, resolving a road-safety concern or supplementing a previously completed TIS. The City determines whether this reduced scope is acceptable.

Specific intersection performance criteria: Windsor defines critical traffic movements that require attention. These include queues exceeding available storage, unsignalized movements operating at Level of Service E or worse, signalized movements operating at Level of Service F, and specified volume-to-capacity thresholds. These criteria help identify when development traffic may create unacceptable operational conditions.

Traffic calming in new residential subdivisions: Proposed residential subdivisions must be designed to discourage cut-through traffic and incorporate inherent safety and traffic-calming measures. Where this cannot be achieved through the initial site design, the TIS must explain how the City’s Traffic Calming Policy requirements will be addressed.

Cumulative traffic assessment: The analysis must account for other approved and proposed developments in the surrounding area, not simply the traffic generated by the subject property. This ensures that successive development applications along the same corridor consider one another’s traffic contributions and that broader background growth is recognized.

Publicly accessible reports and defined study validity: All submitted TIS reports become part of the public record and may be shared with Council, other agencies and subsequent development applicants. In addition, if a development does not proceed within three years of the original TIS date, an updated analysis is required to confirm that the original findings remain valid.

Parking studies are generally separate: Parking adequacy is not normally assessed as part of a TIS unless the applicant is proposing a variance from the Zoning By-law’s parking requirements. Where reduced parking is proposed, a separate or supplementary Parking Study may be required to demonstrate that the proposed supply is appropriate and will not create spillover parking in surrounding areas.

Plan Ahead for Development Approval

Early consultation with Windsor Transportation Planning staff helps establish whether a full TIS or a limited-scope Transportation Statement is required, identify existing traffic constraints and determine the improvements that may be necessary to support the development.

Developers should pay particular attention to site access, cumulative traffic impacts, neighbourhood compatibility and the potential need for off-site improvements. Integrating these considerations into the initial site design can help reduce redesign, clarify infrastructure obligations and support a more efficient development application review.

References: City of Windsor — Transportation Impact Study Guidelines; City of Windsor — Official Plan, Terms of Reference for Transportation Impact Studies. Requirements and study scope are determined by the City based on the characteristics and potential impacts of each development proposal.

Our team has in-depth expertise at conducting these assessments. Contact us today to find out how we can help with your project.