The Three Es of Traffic Calming
Responses to concerns regarding traffic speeds and cut-through traffic volumes can be addressed by using three important tools: education, enforcement, and engineering.
Education
Public education can be an effective tool to help change the attitude and behavior of drivers. Educational efforts aim at addressing the possibility that residents of the affected neighborhood are not attentive to the speeds that they are driving at and that modifications of their own driving behavior may solve the problem. These efforts are fairly cost-effective, but are typically found to solve the problem only in the short term. The majority of these techniques help to reduce vehicle speeds, but most do not address the problem of cut-through traffic. Some educational efforts that can be used include:
- Neighborhood Meeting – Organize a meeting with the affected neighborhood to discuss the specific traffic issues for that neighborhood and recommend ways for residents to personally reduce speeds and increase safety in their neighborhood.
- Traffic Safety Newsletter - Preparation of a newsletter designed for a specific neighborhood describing the traffic concerns and recommendations. The newsletter may provide information on volumes and speeds in the area, as well as reminders of traffic laws and traffic safety tips.
- Speed Trailer – Use of a portable trailer equipped with a radar unit, which detects the speed of passing vehicles and displays it on a reader board. The trailer shows drivers their actual speed versus the posted speed limit and encourages compliance. The device also helps by-standers to gauge how fast the posted speed limit looks as drivers pass by.
- Neighborhood Pledge or “Pace” Cars – A pledge form may be distributed through the neighborhood to encourage neighbors to commit to driving the speed limit. The City may also provide a bumper sticker or decal for residents committed to driving the speed limit. The drivers of these “pace” cars will lead by example through their neighborhood and others.
- Signing – The posting of appropriate regulatory or warning signs to remind drivers of the traffic laws. Examples of signing that could be used to educate drivers of traffic laws include: speed limit, no outlet, pedestrian crossing or school warning signs.
- Turn restrictions – Full or part-time turn restrictions may be used where a specific movement is creating a safety problem or where cut-through in a neighborhood is an issue. This could also apply to “No Right on Red” designations. However, installing this type of sign requires continued police enforcement.
Enforcement
Increased levels of law enforcement may encourage motorists to drive at the posted speeds or penalize those who do not. This approach is effective when consistently high levels of enforcement are implemented, which is a costly response to the problem.
Engineering
A structural modification is made to the roadway environment that either prohibits certain vehicular movements or encourages vehicles to drive at reduced vehicle speeds. A searchable database of traffic calming projects in Minnesota is provided, which gives examples of different engineering techniques that have been used in Minnesota.
While the Minnesota traffic calming database consists predominantly of engineering approaches, it should be noted that many communities encourage, or require, neighborhood residents to first try an education or enforcement approach before implementing an engineered response.