Traffic Calming Design

In Traffic Calming Design, you'll learn ...

• The purpose and benefits of traffic calming
• Vertical control measures, including speed humps, speed tables, raised crosswalks and textured pavements
• Horizontal control measures, including realigned intersections, chicanes and neighborhood traffic circles
• Roadway narrowing measures, including chokers, neckdowns and center island narrowings
• Closure methods, including full closures, half closures, diagonal diverters and median barriers

Overview

Credit: 2 PDH

Length: 23 pages

ITE defines traffic calming as “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.”

The objectives of traffic calming include reducing speeds, promoting safe conditions, improving the environment, improving real and perceived safety, and discouraging use of residential streets by cut through traffic. Traffic calming can reduce accidents, collisions, noise, vibration, pollution and crime.

European traffic calming began as a grassroots movement in the late 1960’s. Angry residents of the Dutch city of Delft fought cut through traffic by turning their streets in to woonerven, or “living yards.” This was followed by the development of European slow streets (designed for 20 mph) in the late 1970’s.

In the U.S., a version of traffic calming was practiced as early as the late 1960’s and early 1970’s in such places as Berkeley, California and Seattle, Washington.

There are a variety of traffic calming measures available that can provide speed and/or volume control for collector and local streets. The cost of these measures varies dependent upon the amount of construction required for implementation.

Through this course, you will learn traffic calming techniques that can be utilized in roadway design.