Traffic Calming (UNDER CONSTRUCTION 10/00)

This is a temporary "fix" of our previous page. Includes some additional resources but the page is being largely revised...

Traffic calming is a growing field in the U.S. but traffic calming measures have been used widely overseas for years.

Here are some basic references on the topic.

 

Traffic Calming: State of the Practice; ITE/FHWA, August 1999

State of the Art: Residential Traffic Management; FHWA, 1980

Canadian Guide to Neighbourhood Traffic Calming; TAC/CITE, December 1998 (only partial report available on site). For more info, visit the TAC/CITE site

Traffic Calming Measures A series of Fact Sheets on 8 different kinds of traffic calming devices.

A little history...

Compton Speed Bumps; "Nobel-Prize-winning physicist and former Washington University Chancellor Arthur Holly Compton often took time from his scientific and administrative duties for pleasurable diversions like playing his banjo-mandolin at the annual freshman picnic. After watching motorists speed along the thoroughfare in front of Brookings Hall (now known as Hoyt Drive), Compton designed a series of speed bumps, which were first installed along Hoyt Drive in the spring of 1953."

 

"A Bumpy Road Ahead?"; article on parking lot-style speed bumps by Charles D. Allen and Lawrence B. Walsh; Traffic Engineering journal; Oct. 1975. Hilarious photo of fire truck going over bumps. "Hilarious" if you're not the firefighters trying to hold on and stand on the back, that is.

Livable Streets; Donald Appleyard; UCBerkeley Press; 1981. A broad view of streets, what they do, how they do it, and why they should be livable. Includes information on Appleyard's famous San Francisco study of street volumes and neighbor interaction.

Some more current resources...

Making Streets That Work; links to a page that offers a downloadable PDF version of Seattle's excellent workbook for neighborhood advocates. It's part of a two-part educational tool including a video.

 

National Bicycling and Walking Study FHWA Case Study No. 19: Traffic Calming, Auto-Restricted Zones and Other Traffic Management Techniques- Their Effects on Bicycling and Pedestrians; FHWA; 1994; available from the National Bicycling and Walking Clearinghouse, 1506 21st St. NW, Washington DC 20036 or call (202) 463-6622.

 

Portland (OR) Traffic Calming Program; an extensive website of Portland's experience with a wide variety of traffic calming measures.

Reinventing the Village: Planning, Zoning and Design Strategies; describes advantages of a village: a pedestrian environment with mixed use zoning in a small, compact area. Practical information on zoning ordinances, design review, and incentives for developing a village commercial district. From American Planning Association Planning Advisory Service, 1313 E. 60th St., Chicago, IL 60637. $20.

Traffic Circles in Residential Areas; This link takes you information on Seattle's successful neighborhood traffic calming program, which primarily uses small traffic circles. A kit with print and video is available from Amy Patton, Seattle City Treasurer, Municipal Building, Room 708, Seattle, WA 98104 (206) 684-0813. Printed material free, $15 for video.

Other online traffic calming bibliographies:

Institute of Transportation Engineers

Dept. of Urban & Regional Planning/Univ. of Hawaii

City of Cambridge (MA)

Municipal Research & Services Center

UK Dept of the Environment, Transport, and the Regions