Can our neighborhood streets have speed bumps installed to slow drivers down?
The County does have a program for the installation of speed humps and other traffic calming improvements. The program is a two-phase, two-year process. The first year focuses on passive, less-restrictive measures like educational programs, enforcement, pavement legends, and signing. Should these Phase I actions prove ineffective at reducing excessive speeds or traffic volumes, more restrictive Phase II methods and physical devices may be considered, based on certain threshold criteria. More Information…
The County does not install speed bumps on County Roads. Primary reasoning is focused on liability injury to travelers and damage to vehicles. Additionally, speed bumps are a concern to most emergency services during their response to an emergency. A jurisdiction that does use speed bumps usually has a very involved program. Under certain conditions, appropriately designed speed bumps can slow traffic within the immediate vicinity of such installations. Properly designed speed bumps involve an engineered design set to a given speed. They are typically 12-22 feet long and are installed in conjunction with pavement markings, advance signing and are most effective in curbed road sections (drivers might opt to drive over the road shoulder creating other maintenance and safety issues over time). Such installations are only appropriate on low volume, lower speed roadways. As with many other types of controls, improperly designed or inappropriately located speed bumps can have the opposite af
