vision2020@moscow.com: Re: Street Calming
Re: Street Calming
Bill London (london@wsunix.wsu.edu)
Thu, 15 May 1997 08:45:59 -0700 (PDT)
I did respond to KR's questions, but I will post to all (again).....
Traffic calming (very common in Europe, and increasingly so in
Seattle, Portland and other urban areas where residential neighborhoods
are working toward neighborhood cohesiveness and taking back the streets
from auto-dominance) involves putting things in the street to
slow/discourage traffic.
Most common is speed hump--wide flat bump. Good part: cheap and
effective if used in pairs in a block. Bad part: ugly, little
contribution to neighborhood beautification
Other things are extensions of the curbs--little peninsulas of
curbing that grow into the street, forcing cars to slow or meander. Good
part: can be very attractive and be neighborhood gathering places. Bad
part: more expensive.
Also, curb extensions and speed humps can be built together (speed
hump grows from end of curb extension) to form what is called a raised
crosswalk. Also expensive, but very effective at slowing traffic and
encouraging neighborhood interaction. (note: my personal favorite)
Also, at block ends/intersections, traffic calming may include
islands at ends of blocks announcing traffic calming ahead or circles in
middle of intersection or other diversions that stop direct driving
through residential neighborhood.
Now, to our block of Polk Street. At the last Moscow Public Works
Committee meeting, (thanks especially here to chair Linda Pall), the
committee agreed to allow traffic calming on Polk (between 3rd and 6th) as
a demonstration project. The official city notice has been printed and
distributed for a meeting with the city (engineers, public works
committee, and Polk residents) on May 29.
At that meeting (hopefully) the decision about the design of the
traffic calming on Polk will be made. The decision is the responsibility
of the residents of Polk, since the costs will be borne by a LID (local
improvement district) that the residents already signed the petition to
create. The issue is the weighing of options--costs, benefits, etc.
At our block party last August, a vote of the residents indicated
support for curb extensions and for an LID with a value of $10,000
approximately (that is $50 annual tax for ten years per each of 22 parcels
on the street). According to the city estimates presented last year, the
LID could afford curb extensions--but the residents may choose a smaller
LID to buy speed humps instead.
I will post the results of the meeting to the list.
Wait for the next exciting installment of the traffic calming
adventure.......
BL
On Wed, 14 May 1997, Sam Scripter (MoscowSam) wrote:
> On Wed, 14 May 1997, Matt wrote:
>
> > A while back Kurt Rathman inquired about the type of traffic calming
> > being contemplated (other than endless construction.) Was there any
> > response? Did I miss it?
> >
> > M@ 46.722438 N -117.005599 W
>
> I didn't see a response, either. So just what is "street calming"?
>
> Sam
> ----------------------------------------------------
> scripter@mines.uidaho.edu ;-) (Sam M W Scripter)
> MoscowSam/GeoSam/PiperSam/RiderSam/SamTheHam/SamIam!
> ----------------------------------------------------
>
>
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