NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING FAQs
- How can my neighborhood get speed humps or other traffic calming treatments?
- Can our neighborhood pay to have traffic calming installed?
- The City is going to be repaving my street - why can't they just install some speed humps while they are there?
- Why doesn't the City install speed BUMPS like those found in parking lots? Those really slow people down.
- Stop signs are a lot cheaper than traffic calming - why not just install more stop signs?
- Can't some dips just be installed? Those really slow cars down.
- Can our street be closed at one end?
- Can we get some temporary speed humps to try them out?
- A major road construction project nearby is creating traffic problems in my neighborhood - we need traffic calming now.
- Why doesn't my neighborhood street have speed limit signs?
- Can "Children at Play" warning signs be installed on my street?
- How can we get a digital speed display sign for our street?
- How can my neighborhood get traffic enforcement?
Unfortunately, due to severe City budget cuts over the past few years, the City of
Can our neighborhood pay to have traffic calming installed?
Recently, the City's Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) was eliminated due to the severe budget cuts implemented by City to balance its budget each year. Unfortunately, these budget cuts also included the loss of numerous City staff. As such, the City simply does not have the staff resources to assist any neighborhoods at this time with self-pay traffic calming projects.
NOTE: many neighborhoods make this offer but do not realize the typical cost of a traffic calming project. Recent traffic calming project construction costs range from $35,000 to well over $100,000. This does not include costs for project management, public outreach, and plan/design review, which have been absorbed by City staff in the past.
The installation of traffic calming is only approved where it is truly needed, not simply where it is desired. Likewise, traffic calming involves more than speed humps. Any neighborhood that has been approved for traffic calming assistance goes through a thorough plan development and public input process that determines what the most appropriate and effective traffic calming devices will be given the specific traffic safety issues and takes into consideration the local topography and land uses, the impacts on emergency response, and neighborhood preferences. A speed hump may not be an appropriate or desirable treatment even if traffic calming is needed. Interestingly, traffic calming is often controversial, especially the use of speed humps.
Speed BUMPS that are installed on private property inside parking lots, apartment complexes, and shopping centers are substantially shorter in length, sometimes higher, and more abrupt than speed HUMPS and speed TABLES which are designed for public streets. Speed BUMPS are not approved for use on public streets because they require vehicles to slow to nearly a stop to proceed safely over them.
A stop sign is one of our most valuable and effective control devices when used at the right place and under the right conditions. The stop sign is used to assign right of way at an intersection and to make sure that traffic flows smoothly and predictably. It is intended to help drivers and pedestrians at an intersection decide who has the right-of-way.
Because a stop sign is used to assign right of way at an intersection, it is not an effective means to control speeding. Research shows that where stop signs are installed as "deterrents" or "speed breakers," there are high incidences of intentional violations resulting in accidents.
When vehicles must stop, the speed reduction is only near the stop sign, and drivers tend to speed up between stop sign controlled intersections. When not required to stop by cross street traffic, only 5 to 20% of all drivers come to a complete stop, 40 to 60% will come to a rolling stop below 5 mph, and 20 to 4O% will pass through at higher speeds. Signs placed on major and collector streets for the purpose of speed reduction are the most flagrantly violated.
The "stop and go traffic" resulting from the placement of stop signs can increase carbon dioxide emissions, thereby further impacting the air quality in your area. There is also a noticeable noise increase in the vicinity of an intersection from acceleration and braking. Additionally, deceleration, idling, and acceleration of vehicles increases fuel consumption.
Can't some dips just be installed? Those really slow cars down.
Dips, otherwise known as cross pans, are intended to handle drainage; they are not constructed as traffic calming devices. These cross pans, especially older ones that are more abrupt, can have a negative impact on emergency responders like fire, police, and ambulances.
Can our street be closed at one end?
Can we get some temporary speed humps to try them out?
The City of
If your neighborhood feels that a major road construction project nearby is causing traffic to cut through your neighborhood, please contact the Engineering Division's Roadway Design team - (719) 385-5918 or CityEngineering@springsgov.com - and ask to speak to the manager for that construction project. It is the responsibility of the project manager to address any substantial negative impacts on adjacent neighborhoods that are created by a major road construction project to the extent possible.
Why doesn't my neighborhood street have speed limit signs?
In 2003, the City Council approved the "Citywide 25" ordinance, which states that all streets are 25 mph unless otherwise posted. Thus, if there is no speed limit sign on your street indicating a higher (or, in a few cases, lower) speed limit, then the speed limit is 25 mph.
It is also a function of limited resources. There are more than 5,000 residential streets in the City of
Can "Children at Play" warning signs be installed on my street?
Technically, there is not a legal "Children at Play" warning sign that can be posted on a public street. The City of Colorado Springs like cities around the state and across the country adhere to a nationally approved manual on signage and pavement markings called the "Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices" (MUTCD). There is no approved "Children at Play" sign in this Manual.
How can we get a digital speed display sign for our street?
There are two types of digital radar speed signs - one type is mobile (trailer-mounted) and is managed by the Colorado Springs Police Department; the other type is semi- permanent (pole mounted) and is managed by the Traffic Engineering division.
Mobile Speed Trailer - If you are interested in getting one of the Mobile Speed Trailers placed on your street, please contact the Colorado Springs Police Department at (719) 482-7143 to request to be placed on the rotation list for the trailer. If you reach a CSPD voicemail, please leave the following information: your name, address, phone number(s), email address (if available), and the street(s) you would like the speed trailer installed on. There are a very limited number of mobile speed trailers; they are rotated around the City on a first-come first-serve basis.
Semi-permanent Speed Display Signs - these signs are installed for longer periods of time and typically on multi-lane streets, near schools and/or areas with a history of speed-related crashes. Traffic Engineering will be posting information on the semi-permanent digital speed signs and their placement and use policy on the City's web site in the near future - please check back.
How can my neighborhood get traffic enforcement?
Citizens and neighborhood/homeowners associations can contact the Colorado Springs Police Department to request neighborhood traffic enforcement by calling (719) 482-7143. If you reach a CSPD voicemail, please leave the following information: your name, address, phone number(s), email (if available), the street(s) you are concerned about, and what the traffic safety concern(s) is. If there is a particular time(s) of the day the problem is worse, please note this in your message.
Because the Police Department's traffic enforcement resources are very limited, neighborhoods can opt to pay for police overtime for targeted enforcement in their neighborhoods. If your neighborhood is interested in this option, please contact the CSPD Enforcement Hotline at (719) 482-7143 and leave a message to that effect.
