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 Residential Traffic
Calming Criteria & Procedures
The residential traffic calming
program provides residents an opportunity to present a concern for traffic
safety with respect to observed volume and speeds on neighborhood streets
and a formal method to study and evaluate, design and install measures to
mitigate these concerns.
This program incorporates the three "E’s"
of traffic:
Education,
Enforcement,
and
Engineering.
Residents can actively participate through neighborhood committees providing
education and awareness of the issues and solutions available. Increased
education and enforcement through spot speed enforcement and increased law
enforcement visibility effectively cause self-enforcement of speed
regulations. Finally, where increased education and law enforcement have not
made measurable improvement in speed reductions, then engineering measures,
through physical means may be the last resort to effectively reduce
neighborhood speeds, hence Traffic Calming.
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Procedure for initiating a neighborhood traffic study:
| 1. |
An association or
neighborhood representative should contact the City of Melbourne
Engineering Department at (321) 953-6244 or submit a request form
to request Traffic Calming. The form for such a request in
attached as Exhibit 1. |
| 2. |
All traffic calming
projects provide for and encourage citizen involvement. The
engineering department maintains a close dialogue with
neighborhood residents and works with them to develop an
acceptable traffic-calming plan. A project can be undertaken only
if it has the support of residents. |
| 3. |
Staff or consultant collects and
analyzes data about the traffic issues that have been identified
and presents the findings to the neighborhood representative. |
| 4. |
If the criteria for
traffic calming measures are met, then Type 1 option alternatives
will be examined. These are as follows: |
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4a. |
Type 1 Options |
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Traffic Control
Signage, Regulation Signage |
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Striping edgelines, stop bars |
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Request
increased police presence |
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Radar trailer program |
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| 4b. |
A follow-up study will
be conducted within 45 days after Type
1 options are installed/performed. If Type
1 options are ineffective at controlling the undesired
traffic conditions, then Type 2
options will be examined. Street segments that do not meet the
qualification are not further considered for traffic calming
unless there is a substantial change in the neighborhoods
residential density, or additional roadway connections are
built. |
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To
be eligible for physical traffic calming measures, a street must
meet the following qualifications: |
| Criteria
for Qualification Installation of Traffic Calming Measures |
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It must be classified as
a Local residential street abutting land use is at least 85%
residential. |
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It cannot be a
designated fire response route or transit route. |
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It cannot be more than
two travel lanes wide. |
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The street surface must
be to current City standards, and maintained by the City. |
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Streets must meet at least 1, 2, 3, & 4 of the
following
(Number's 5 or 6 may be substituted for #3)
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| 1.
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500 minimum vehicles per day 3000 maximum
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| 2. |
1000' minimum street length
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3.
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85% of vehicles exceeding the speed limit
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| 4. |
A minimum of 65% of residents must give approval
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| 5. |
At least 3 accidents in 12 months where excessive
speed was a factor |
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6.
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A minimum of 25% cut through traffic
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| 5. |
Prior to installing any Type 2 option alternative, a majority of
homeowners must concur with the recommended actions. A public
meeting will be held to report on the survey results, identify the
issues, and discuss possible solutions, including alternative
designs. A "working group" may be formed at this meeting,
consisting of people who want to take a more active role in
developing the project. Meeting participants give staff ideas about
possible solutions they would like to see pursued.
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The
Type 2
options for consideration will be: |
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Speed Hump or Bump |
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Crosswalk Refuge
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Choker
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Chicane
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Raised Sidewalk
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Center Island
Narrowing
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Traffic Circle
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Textured
Pavement
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The Institute of
Transportation Engineers has defined traffic calming as follows:
"Traffic calming involves
changes in street alignment, installation of barriers, and other
physical measures to reduce traffic speeds and/or cut-through volumes,
in the interest of street safety, livability, and other public
purposes."
Goals:
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To
improve the environment and livability of neighborhood streets by
"calming" or regulating the impact of vehicular traffic. |
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To
promote safe and pleasant conditions for motorists, bicyclists,
pedestrians, and residents of neighborhood streets. |
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To
encourage citizen involvement in the traffic calming process by
incorporating the preferences and requirements of the people using
the area along the street or at the intersection. |
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To
reduce vehicular speeds on residential streets. |
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To
improve real and perceived safety for non motorized users of the
streets. |
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To
discourage use of residential streets by non-residential cut
through vehicular traffic. |
Objectives:
To accomplish these goals, Melbourne has developed a
step-by-step process to follow that provides both objectivity and
fairness to identify issues and solutions and implement those changes.
Individuals or groups are encouraged to present traffic safety concerns
to city staff. Once problems are identified, relatively simple measures,
or, Type 1 Options are considered
and implemented to mitigate traffic concerns. If Type 1 Options do not
correct the targeted issues, then more drastic and extensive
improvements, Type 2 Options, are considered. Type 2 Options are
physical measures to control traffic speed and volumes by installing
physical obstacles that either slow or divert traffic.
Once all the criteria have been met, a public hearing before the City
Council is held. If approved, and with adequate funding the traffic
calming plan can then be implemented.
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