Slow Down!!!
August 22, 2013 1:12 PM Subscribe
Have you successfully gotten your city to install "traffic calming" measures on your street, such as speed humps or traffic circles? If so, I have a few questions.
We have a problem on our City of Milwaukee side street: it's one-way, and goes for two blocks downhill without a stop sign. Cars are constantly hitting high speeds by the time they get down the hill to my end of the block... I'm talking 55mph in a 25mph zone.
I've got the required documents (including a petition sheet) and am planning on launching a full-scale campaign to get speed humps, a traffic circle, or something else put in place to slow these a-holes down.
Here are my questions. Please answer any or all.
1) How hard is it to get the city to take action?
2) Have you had any traffic calming items installed on your block? Did they work to slow down the traffic?
3) Is there anything I'm not considering? i.e., Are traffic humps bad for bicyclists?
Any other experiences you can pass on to me would be appreciated.
Thanks!
We have a problem on our City of Milwaukee side street: it's one-way, and goes for two blocks downhill without a stop sign. Cars are constantly hitting high speeds by the time they get down the hill to my end of the block... I'm talking 55mph in a 25mph zone.
I've got the required documents (including a petition sheet) and am planning on launching a full-scale campaign to get speed humps, a traffic circle, or something else put in place to slow these a-holes down.
Here are my questions. Please answer any or all.
1) How hard is it to get the city to take action?
2) Have you had any traffic calming items installed on your block? Did they work to slow down the traffic?
3) Is there anything I'm not considering? i.e., Are traffic humps bad for bicyclists?
Any other experiences you can pass on to me would be appreciated.
Thanks!
Traffic humps can be very very bad for cyclists and I hate them! They also make the road noisier and damage cars. You can get traffic humps that don't go the full width of the road, and of course they're better for bikes.
posted by kadia_a at 1:21 PM on August 22, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by kadia_a at 1:21 PM on August 22, 2013 [5 favorites]
Have you considered requesting visual markings on the street like panted lines to visually narrow the street (I believe there are studies that show it slows traffic).
Instead of sleeping policemen I have heard that "dips" in the road that are more effective for slowing speeders but I do not know the technical term for them. I believe a disadvantage to sleeping policemen is their affect on emergency vehicles and their tendency to be destroyed by snowploughs (would that be an issue)?
posted by saucysault at 1:21 PM on August 22, 2013 [4 favorites]
Instead of sleeping policemen I have heard that "dips" in the road that are more effective for slowing speeders but I do not know the technical term for them. I believe a disadvantage to sleeping policemen is their affect on emergency vehicles and their tendency to be destroyed by snowploughs (would that be an issue)?
posted by saucysault at 1:21 PM on August 22, 2013 [4 favorites]
Rather than "scaring" drivers into slowing down, what about just putting out something like this? I've seen something like this sign be effective, it is a day-glo outline of a child with a flag. A scare may only work once or twice then people will be back to their normal habits, this might be a far more effective route.
posted by arnicae at 1:23 PM on August 22, 2013
posted by arnicae at 1:23 PM on August 22, 2013
In our neighborhood it took about 5 years to get traffic calming measures installed.
People have slowed down, but they're still using the main streets through the subdivision to get to Peachetree Rd.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:24 PM on August 22, 2013
People have slowed down, but they're still using the main streets through the subdivision to get to Peachetree Rd.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 1:24 PM on August 22, 2013
How steep is your hill? Some cities won't do speed bumps on slopes. For example, Oakland, CA won't put them on streets steeper than a 7% grade.
posted by enf at 1:25 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by enf at 1:25 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Musical roads are an awesome traffic calming measure (you have to drive at a set speed to hear the tune through the vibrations) but would probably need a partnership with a local arts agency to access grants (I doubt the engineering department would find a reason to justify the cost).
posted by saucysault at 1:27 PM on August 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by saucysault at 1:27 PM on August 22, 2013 [3 favorites]
1) How hard is it to get the city to take action?
2) Have you had any traffic calming items installed on your block? Did they work to slow down the traffic?
3) Is there anything I'm not considering? i.e., Are traffic humps bad for bicyclists?
My neighborhood in Madison has these. The humps suck. And the wide circles make it difficult for trucks (fire/garbage/moving) to get around easily. And in either case, the snowplows have a bitch of a time dealing with them.
One thing you and your neighbors can do in the meantime is park farther out from the curb effectively narrowing the street. Narrow spaces make people instinctively slow down - traffic goes half the speed down my street on days when both sides are parked up. Also, getting the local PD to park a cruiser there at various times can help, too.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 1:32 PM on August 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
2) Have you had any traffic calming items installed on your block? Did they work to slow down the traffic?
3) Is there anything I'm not considering? i.e., Are traffic humps bad for bicyclists?
My neighborhood in Madison has these. The humps suck. And the wide circles make it difficult for trucks (fire/garbage/moving) to get around easily. And in either case, the snowplows have a bitch of a time dealing with them.
One thing you and your neighbors can do in the meantime is park farther out from the curb effectively narrowing the street. Narrow spaces make people instinctively slow down - traffic goes half the speed down my street on days when both sides are parked up. Also, getting the local PD to park a cruiser there at various times can help, too.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 1:32 PM on August 22, 2013 [2 favorites]
We have humps and they are a problem for the snow plows. They also lose all their paint every winter to the plows and a lot of people pop tires on them because they are effectively invisible then. For the same reason we can't have small traffic circles or narrow lanes that the city plows and dump trucks can't get down.
Still there has to be a solution. In the short term maybe they can stake it out for speeders and/or put a stop sign halfway down.
posted by fshgrl at 1:39 PM on August 22, 2013
Still there has to be a solution. In the short term maybe they can stake it out for speeders and/or put a stop sign halfway down.
posted by fshgrl at 1:39 PM on August 22, 2013
I live in Germany - and we have lot of speed bumps in areas heavily used by bicyclists. I think they're helping cyclists more that they are annoying them (and personally: they don't annoy me at all as a cyclist).
I just looked at a research report put together as a guideline for german communal authorities.
It's in German, but there's lot of pictures in it - so it might be of some help. Let me know if I can help you translate any particular page/section.
Some measures that I personally think would work (most of these need to be installed):
1. Making the road more narrow through installing plastic/stone barriers at the side (at some village entries in Germany the road were made so narrow that you can't pass through with two cars at the same time)
2. Installing a sign with a speed-measuring component that show the current speed of the car approaching it (+ a smiley if they're going at the right speed)
3. The more narrow the speed bump the easier it is to install it (some are just "screwed onto the road") ---> the narrowest ones take out the most speed.
Have you already measured the speeds/could you get a laser measuring thingi from the police for a day. Or: lowcost, measure 100 yards on the road and time the cars as the go from "start to finish".
Good luck!
posted by mathiu at 1:40 PM on August 22, 2013
I just looked at a research report put together as a guideline for german communal authorities.
It's in German, but there's lot of pictures in it - so it might be of some help. Let me know if I can help you translate any particular page/section.
Some measures that I personally think would work (most of these need to be installed):
1. Making the road more narrow through installing plastic/stone barriers at the side (at some village entries in Germany the road were made so narrow that you can't pass through with two cars at the same time)
2. Installing a sign with a speed-measuring component that show the current speed of the car approaching it (+ a smiley if they're going at the right speed)
3. The more narrow the speed bump the easier it is to install it (some are just "screwed onto the road") ---> the narrowest ones take out the most speed.
Have you already measured the speeds/could you get a laser measuring thingi from the police for a day. Or: lowcost, measure 100 yards on the road and time the cars as the go from "start to finish".
Good luck!
posted by mathiu at 1:40 PM on August 22, 2013
One thing to bear in mind, and I used to live near a speed hump, is that they make the traffic much noisier, especially at night when it's more noticeable. Cars and trucks would slow down, and then accelerate hard again straight after the bump, causing all sorts of noise and making the windows vibrate etc.
I wonder if you can get things like this in the states? They're quite common in the UK, and seem to slow traffic down without the annoying stop/starts.
posted by derbs at 1:46 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I wonder if you can get things like this in the states? They're quite common in the UK, and seem to slow traffic down without the annoying stop/starts.
posted by derbs at 1:46 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
You may run into resistance from the city if anything that slows cars on your street might make parallel streets more attractive to traffic. Our neighborhood in Oakland, CA looked into traffic calming measures a few years ago, and we were told by a city traffic engineer that the city would not take any action that would worsen traffic on other streets.
posted by harkin banks at 1:50 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by harkin banks at 1:50 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Just got some on our street. I don't know a lot about the coordination with the city, though it seemed getting press coverage after a series of accidents and having local meetings helped. I don't know if it's legal, but if you recorded people zooming down the street and sent it to an investigative news program, maybe you can get some awareness. I think residents also tried to pressure the city to station a police car there, which I imagine is costly and another incentive to install humps instead.
Our bumps have room on the side for bicycles, which is a big plus (as I'm often on one). Aside from that, I echo what others have mentioned about plows and reflowed traffic. Expect that people will use a parallel street or turn right before the hump. I also don't know if there are safety issues with putting humps at the bottom of a hill, because I've never seen any.
posted by beyond_pink at 1:57 PM on August 22, 2013
Our bumps have room on the side for bicycles, which is a big plus (as I'm often on one). Aside from that, I echo what others have mentioned about plows and reflowed traffic. Expect that people will use a parallel street or turn right before the hump. I also don't know if there are safety issues with putting humps at the bottom of a hill, because I've never seen any.
posted by beyond_pink at 1:57 PM on August 22, 2013
Just pray that your speed humps don't slow down fire response enough to get you kicked into a higher insurance bracket. And that nobody on your street has a heart attack. Seconds count. Narrowing the street works a lot better than speed humps, which just invite people to race between them. Nobody races through my neighborhood on days when there are cars lining both sides of the street. It also doesn't damage your car, your city's vehicles, and those of everyone else who wants/needs to exceed 10 miles an hour.
Thankfully, while one half of my neighborhood association's area has them, my half does not, and will remain that way if I have anything to say about it. This despite the occasional jackass that flies down the road at 45mph. They're only occasional, and they'll get up to the same speed either way. They got the humps by doing precisely what you're doing. I think it took no more than a few months and a couple of public meetings. Not even a petition, AFAIK, just a vote by and subsequent request from the (official) neighborhood association.
posted by wierdo at 2:03 PM on August 22, 2013
Thankfully, while one half of my neighborhood association's area has them, my half does not, and will remain that way if I have anything to say about it. This despite the occasional jackass that flies down the road at 45mph. They're only occasional, and they'll get up to the same speed either way. They got the humps by doing precisely what you're doing. I think it took no more than a few months and a couple of public meetings. Not even a petition, AFAIK, just a vote by and subsequent request from the (official) neighborhood association.
posted by wierdo at 2:03 PM on August 22, 2013
As for getting the city to do things, the most effective thing is to have your presence known. Go to all the planning meetings you can get to. Ask informed and polite questions. Don't be shrill or demanding. Be curious. Then, when you want to make your request, you'll know who might back you up, how to ask/defend your position, and what kinds of opposition you'll run into. A year of prior meeting attendance can really help speed up some things. Also, you'll learn a ton and maybe even make some friends!
Andres Duany says something like, "People drive as fast as they feel safe. Teenagers drive faster than they feel safe."
If you make your road feel unsafe, you will slow drivers down.
Speed humps and circles don't have this effect of making drivers feel less safe. (especially not in SUVs where drivers feel extra protected and the bottom won't scrape) What they do accomplish is making drivers annoyed and possibly less likely to pay attention to the road. Another thing that happens at speed bumps is that people take the effort to drive around to the inner or outer edge of the bump. I don't really understand why, but I have seen some near accidents because people were paying so much attention to lining up their wheels that they didn't see traffic or pedestrian coming. Kind of scary.
So, while you're attending all those planning meetings, get a couple of flourescent "children playing" signs, and rotate through the blocks who has theirs out on which day. Pick the day after trash day for yours so you can drop yours off on your way out to get the can. Try the soccer ball trick. Build a scarecrow that's kid sized adn dressed in clothes. Also? Spend more time in your yard during the times that you're concerned. A friendly wave at people driving by reminds them that people live there.
posted by bilabial at 2:05 PM on August 22, 2013 [5 favorites]
Andres Duany says something like, "People drive as fast as they feel safe. Teenagers drive faster than they feel safe."
If you make your road feel unsafe, you will slow drivers down.
Speed humps and circles don't have this effect of making drivers feel less safe. (especially not in SUVs where drivers feel extra protected and the bottom won't scrape) What they do accomplish is making drivers annoyed and possibly less likely to pay attention to the road. Another thing that happens at speed bumps is that people take the effort to drive around to the inner or outer edge of the bump. I don't really understand why, but I have seen some near accidents because people were paying so much attention to lining up their wheels that they didn't see traffic or pedestrian coming. Kind of scary.
So, while you're attending all those planning meetings, get a couple of flourescent "children playing" signs, and rotate through the blocks who has theirs out on which day. Pick the day after trash day for yours so you can drop yours off on your way out to get the can. Try the soccer ball trick. Build a scarecrow that's kid sized adn dressed in clothes. Also? Spend more time in your yard during the times that you're concerned. A friendly wave at people driving by reminds them that people live there.
posted by bilabial at 2:05 PM on August 22, 2013 [5 favorites]
Advocate for trees to line your street. They cause drivers to slow down and drive more carefully, despite what the National Highway Administration says. A couple of pieces on this:
One
Two
I am not advocating them as the sole measure, but I would add them in to the mix.
posted by Hactar at 2:20 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
One
Two
I am not advocating them as the sole measure, but I would add them in to the mix.
posted by Hactar at 2:20 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
There is a TON of research (or at least anecdotal comparisons) done on installations of traffic calming measures.
Things to note: it's better to keep people going slowly the whole distance of the street, rather than slow down dramatically once or twice. If people area used to going 55 MPH, they'll actually go faster after a speed bump to make up lost time.
There are many variations on the "raised road portion" design, including speed bumps, humps and tables, which range from distinct (bumps) to almost subtle (tables).
I'm a fan of road diets, which either physically limit the width of the roads by increasing the width of the sidewalks or adding in medians and islands, or re-stripe the roads to provide dedicated parking spaces, turn lanes and/or bike lanes. Local municipalities can work with their fire departments to ensure that emergency vehicles can still navigate the roads quickly and safely, while squeezing the road so that drivers generally don't feel as comfortable going fast.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:36 PM on August 22, 2013 [7 favorites]
Things to note: it's better to keep people going slowly the whole distance of the street, rather than slow down dramatically once or twice. If people area used to going 55 MPH, they'll actually go faster after a speed bump to make up lost time.
There are many variations on the "raised road portion" design, including speed bumps, humps and tables, which range from distinct (bumps) to almost subtle (tables).
I'm a fan of road diets, which either physically limit the width of the roads by increasing the width of the sidewalks or adding in medians and islands, or re-stripe the roads to provide dedicated parking spaces, turn lanes and/or bike lanes. Local municipalities can work with their fire departments to ensure that emergency vehicles can still navigate the roads quickly and safely, while squeezing the road so that drivers generally don't feel as comfortable going fast.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:36 PM on August 22, 2013 [7 favorites]
One thing to note: trees can decrease line of sight for tall vehicles, potentially making it more dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists, especially when crossing the street.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:38 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by filthy light thief at 2:38 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
In my city, the first thing you do is request a traffic study. There's an online form for requesting that. It took a month or so. After that, they got back to me and said the average speed was within their limits, so they wouldn't be doing anything, and I could contact them with any questions. I was less worked up about it at that point, so I didn't get back to them. But I suppose that if I had wanted to, that would have been a good time to present them with more information.
posted by wintersweet at 2:51 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by wintersweet at 2:51 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
As an interim measure, or if you can't get a response from the city (but do try!), some guerilla tactics:
posted by straw at 2:55 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
- In our neighborhood we've got a nasty blind curve that people drive too fast. One neighbor parks his truck on the street, a little further from the curb than strictly necessary, on the outside of that curve. Narrowing the lane helps traffic calming immensely.
- I think it was a Hans Monderman anecdote that suggested a small supply of garage sale tricycles and small bicycles that you could toss on the street in between the parking area and the actual lane does a tremendous job to slow traffic.
posted by straw at 2:55 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you're interested in reading a ton (or skimming a bunch, and reading a bit), here's the Institute of Traffic Engineers Traffic Calming Library. You can search by term, browse by topic, or view the whole library of articles and research. There are over 700 articles, if I did my math right.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:10 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by filthy light thief at 3:10 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
I don't have specific experience for your petition but in the mean time, you can install some non-standard traffic calming measures yourself. Leave a soccer ball in the gutter. Put a cardboard cut out of a child on the other side. These are small legal things you can do to scare drivers into caution.
This is not a good idea. Once a driver notices that it is a sign the first time, they will ignore it from then on. Teaching drivers to ignore the imagery of children is a bad idea.
I agree, you may not like what you get with the speed bumps. Unless you like the sound of squealing brakes, thunk thunk, and then acceleration.
What seems to work best in Chicago are the mini traffic circles that are installed in the middle of trouble intersections. You are way less likely to speed if there is a giant planter in the middle of the street ahead of you.
I also agree- figure out what these drivers are using your road for, and cut that off at the pass. Is it a convenient bypass of another bad intersection? Then ask for a residents only sign.
Another thing that calms traffic is curves. If your street has parking on one side only, petition the planners to alternate the parking from one side to the other every half block or so.
posted by gjc at 3:28 PM on August 22, 2013
This is not a good idea. Once a driver notices that it is a sign the first time, they will ignore it from then on. Teaching drivers to ignore the imagery of children is a bad idea.
I agree, you may not like what you get with the speed bumps. Unless you like the sound of squealing brakes, thunk thunk, and then acceleration.
What seems to work best in Chicago are the mini traffic circles that are installed in the middle of trouble intersections. You are way less likely to speed if there is a giant planter in the middle of the street ahead of you.
I also agree- figure out what these drivers are using your road for, and cut that off at the pass. Is it a convenient bypass of another bad intersection? Then ask for a residents only sign.
Another thing that calms traffic is curves. If your street has parking on one side only, petition the planners to alternate the parking from one side to the other every half block or so.
posted by gjc at 3:28 PM on August 22, 2013
I also don't know if there are safety issues with putting humps at the bottom of a hill, because I've never seen any.
My guess is, rain-water would pool behind them... could be a guaranteed ice-patch, in the wintertime.
posted by Rash at 3:42 PM on August 22, 2013
My guess is, rain-water would pool behind them... could be a guaranteed ice-patch, in the wintertime.
posted by Rash at 3:42 PM on August 22, 2013
Your inner prankster wants to give 'em the hair dryer. You know it.
posted by Myself at 4:59 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Myself at 4:59 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
After years and years of various people lobbying City Hall, and working with the traffic engineer's office, our sub-division did get a few measures, like lane islands and stop signs at major entrances and exits to surrounding main roads. But we still get some cut through traffic, especially at morning and evening rush hour, and have a number of young drivers that live in the neighborhoods, who seem to have heavy feet.
Parking trucks and boats on the streets to effectively narrow them has helped a lot. But in the long summer evening hours, especially on weekends when people seem to be cruising around recreationally, we now have a number of people that play with electric RC cars, mounted with little visible flags about 3 feet off the ground. Running those things up and down driveways, and out into the street really seems to make speeders slow down. I suppose it's a little weird for them to see 2 or 3 of those little cars zipping around out of driveways and into the street, but they do seem more pointedly effective (as long as they can be easily seen by drivers, which is just shortly before dusk), than parents yelling at speeders from their yards or barbeque grills.
posted by paulsc at 5:19 PM on August 22, 2013
Parking trucks and boats on the streets to effectively narrow them has helped a lot. But in the long summer evening hours, especially on weekends when people seem to be cruising around recreationally, we now have a number of people that play with electric RC cars, mounted with little visible flags about 3 feet off the ground. Running those things up and down driveways, and out into the street really seems to make speeders slow down. I suppose it's a little weird for them to see 2 or 3 of those little cars zipping around out of driveways and into the street, but they do seem more pointedly effective (as long as they can be easily seen by drivers, which is just shortly before dusk), than parents yelling at speeders from their yards or barbeque grills.
posted by paulsc at 5:19 PM on August 22, 2013
Filthy light thief is correct: speed bumps do not succeed in calming traffic -- they do the opposite. The research shows they aggravate drivers, who try to "make up" the speed between bumps. I don't have the studies accessible on my phone but they're readily available -- try a Google Scholar or Books search, or read the book Traffic by Tom Vanderbilt.
What *actually* works is removing signage especially warnings: that's been done in the Netherlands, and drivers responded by slowing down and paying attention to their surroundings. North American traffic calming efforts are more aimed at making people feel safer (placating them) -- they are not normally data-driven, and don't actually result in increased safety.
Good luck :-)
posted by Susan PG at 10:04 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
What *actually* works is removing signage especially warnings: that's been done in the Netherlands, and drivers responded by slowing down and paying attention to their surroundings. North American traffic calming efforts are more aimed at making people feel safer (placating them) -- they are not normally data-driven, and don't actually result in increased safety.
Good luck :-)
posted by Susan PG at 10:04 PM on August 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Just wanted to say that as someone who cycles numerous times a week and passes numerous speed bumps they don't worry me.
I also wanted to confirm the comment above about speed bumps in suburban street. In my experience they generate more noise as cars don't slow and stay slow, they tend to slow and then desperately accelerate to their god-given velocity before having to slow for the next bump.
Regarding the 'no-signs' things mentioned by Susan_PG. I've been interested in that experiment but have only read of it in the mass media rather than the literature. I'd be intrigued to discover how the "oh, my gawd, we're in *the* town with no signs" effect has been allowed for when taking those results and advocating a wider implementation. I have read papers which suggest that daytime running lights actually work best, for those whose lights are on, where DLR are not universal because other drivers pay more attention to them. I wonder whether the thing with no street signs works well because it is such a novelty ?
posted by southof40 at 10:27 PM on August 22, 2013
I also wanted to confirm the comment above about speed bumps in suburban street. In my experience they generate more noise as cars don't slow and stay slow, they tend to slow and then desperately accelerate to their god-given velocity before having to slow for the next bump.
Regarding the 'no-signs' things mentioned by Susan_PG. I've been interested in that experiment but have only read of it in the mass media rather than the literature. I'd be intrigued to discover how the "oh, my gawd, we're in *the* town with no signs" effect has been allowed for when taking those results and advocating a wider implementation. I have read papers which suggest that daytime running lights actually work best, for those whose lights are on, where DLR are not universal because other drivers pay more attention to them. I wonder whether the thing with no street signs works well because it is such a novelty ?
posted by southof40 at 10:27 PM on August 22, 2013
I was at a talk years back where someone was talking about traffic and slowing down drivers, and they said that signs of children being present (such as bikes, balls, slides, a small table to be used as a lemonade stand, etc.), were the most effective non-permanent things you could do to slow down residential traffic. Having that stuff out will cause many drivers to slow down and be on the lookout for kids. Spending $10 at a thrift store should get you enough stuff to see if it will work or not.
posted by markblasco at 11:25 PM on August 22, 2013
posted by markblasco at 11:25 PM on August 22, 2013
Speed bumps prevent cars from navigating your road largely on momentum, forcing them to brake and then accelerate. This generates extra air pollution as well as the more obvious increase in noise.
posted by w0mbat at 11:44 PM on August 22, 2013
posted by w0mbat at 11:44 PM on August 22, 2013
My neighborhood association where I lived about six years ago got such a measure installed on our street (the street was altered so that no direct turn onto it was possible from the main road it intersected.) It seemed to take about a year to get it accomplished, as I remember.
I'm not honestly sure it accomplished much.
In terms of things you might not be considering, I have heard many times that people who drive emergency vehicles (paramedics, etc.) HATE most of these measures, because a major effect is to make it harder for them to do their jobs, which can cost lives. If the situation where you live is extremely dangerous, it might still be worth it -- traffic accidents obviously cost lives, too, and potentially more -- but if the danger is only slight, it quite possibly isn't.
posted by kyrademon at 2:56 AM on August 23, 2013
I'm not honestly sure it accomplished much.
In terms of things you might not be considering, I have heard many times that people who drive emergency vehicles (paramedics, etc.) HATE most of these measures, because a major effect is to make it harder for them to do their jobs, which can cost lives. If the situation where you live is extremely dangerous, it might still be worth it -- traffic accidents obviously cost lives, too, and potentially more -- but if the danger is only slight, it quite possibly isn't.
posted by kyrademon at 2:56 AM on August 23, 2013
Hmm, you don't mention contacting your City of Milwaukee Alder. Although their powers have been whittled away somewhat, I gather that they still have a lot of clout in any public works type project, though perhaps not the godlike powers that their Chicago counterparts infamously wielded. In any case, it does look like the city is already backing traffic calming as policy, so you won't actually have to fight an uphill battle in persuading people what the stuff is and does.
As a modification that may or may not appeal to you and your neighbors, you coudl consider joining up with Milwaukee bicycle advocates and suggest that the city create a bicycle boulevard, or the similar type called in Portland a neighborhood greenway (as distinguished from greenways elsewhere, which more usually mean no cars). I'm not sure they'd do this unless it fit into a master plan; still, if you guys would be happy with it they might accept doing it as a demonstration project. Just a thought, no intentional derail.
posted by dhartung at 4:30 AM on August 23, 2013
As a modification that may or may not appeal to you and your neighbors, you coudl consider joining up with Milwaukee bicycle advocates and suggest that the city create a bicycle boulevard, or the similar type called in Portland a neighborhood greenway (as distinguished from greenways elsewhere, which more usually mean no cars). I'm not sure they'd do this unless it fit into a master plan; still, if you guys would be happy with it they might accept doing it as a demonstration project. Just a thought, no intentional derail.
posted by dhartung at 4:30 AM on August 23, 2013
I don't know if it's legal, but if you recorded people zooming down the street and sent it to an investigative news program, maybe you can get some awareness.
I live near Milwaukee. TMJ4 loves this stuff. This is really newsworthy after that hit and run on the east side. Recording traffic is definitely legal, they do it all the time.
posted by desjardins at 5:18 AM on August 23, 2013
I live near Milwaukee. TMJ4 loves this stuff. This is really newsworthy after that hit and run on the east side. Recording traffic is definitely legal, they do it all the time.
posted by desjardins at 5:18 AM on August 23, 2013
Response by poster: Lots of great answers! Tons of stuff to think about (which is why I asked part #3).
I totally hadn't thought about the impact on snowplowing and about the sound of people braking and then flooring their cars all day.
My biggest concern is that there are a lot of kids on the block and there's just no time to stop when you're going 55 in a 25.
Thanks to everyone who answered!
posted by PSB at 7:26 AM on August 23, 2013
I totally hadn't thought about the impact on snowplowing and about the sound of people braking and then flooring their cars all day.
My biggest concern is that there are a lot of kids on the block and there's just no time to stop when you're going 55 in a 25.
Thanks to everyone who answered!
posted by PSB at 7:26 AM on August 23, 2013
You definitely want to ask for a traffic study. The city will either use a camera, or more likely, place an unobtrusive strip on your street that counts cars and tracks their speed over a period of time (typically a few days to a week or two). This will prove whether the issue is that cars are speeding, or that there are too many cars, and what time of day is most problematic.
posted by epanalepsis at 9:02 AM on August 23, 2013
posted by epanalepsis at 9:02 AM on August 23, 2013
A neighbour petitioned our Toronto street to get support for humps, got nearly everybody to sign and the city installed traffic monitors. I think the humps were installed about a year after the study.
I think speed humps (as opposed to "bumps") are wonderful. If you're driving the posted limit, there's no real danger of bottoming out. I can't understand why any cyclist would see them as a hazard. I don't buy the idea that they slow down emergency response times because fire/EMT trucks generally DO NOT race down residential side streets.
The greatest thing about the humps is that they've made the street less attractive to the assholes who like to tear around in their tuner cars and motorbikes at 3am.
posted by bonobothegreat at 2:09 PM on August 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
I think speed humps (as opposed to "bumps") are wonderful. If you're driving the posted limit, there's no real danger of bottoming out. I can't understand why any cyclist would see them as a hazard. I don't buy the idea that they slow down emergency response times because fire/EMT trucks generally DO NOT race down residential side streets.
The greatest thing about the humps is that they've made the street less attractive to the assholes who like to tear around in their tuner cars and motorbikes at 3am.
posted by bonobothegreat at 2:09 PM on August 23, 2013 [1 favorite]
An addendum to me saying that I hate speed bumps as a cyclist - I've just come back from 2 weeks cycling in the Netherlands, and I have to say I had no problems with the larger smoother speed bumps there - doesn't affect me as a cyclist at all. But here in the UK the ones we mostly have are smaller and bumpier or squarer, and I find them painful to go over. We cycle about 150km per week so we might just have low tolerance for them in our fun time.
posted by kadia_a at 12:20 AM on August 25, 2013
posted by kadia_a at 12:20 AM on August 25, 2013
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posted by St. Peepsburg at 1:18 PM on August 22, 2013