Traffic calming
Program overview
- Traffic calming initiatives reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users
- Some interventions include speed humps, speed tables, raised intersections, and roadway narrowing
- Traffic calming measures can reduce traffic speed, reduce motor vehicle collisions, and increase activity and improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists
- Outcomes
-
Supportive neighborhoods
- Strategies
-
Traffic and street safety improvements
- Target Population
-
Community-wide
- Cost per Participant
-
Variable; speed bumps cost $1,670, pedestrian islands cost $10,460 (on average)
Evidence and impacts
Ranked as having the highest level of evidence by County Health Rankings and Roadmaps
- Increase physical activity
- Improve safety
- Reduce motor vehicle-related injuries and fatalities
- Reduce transportation's contribution to air pollution
Best practices in implementation
- Note: This content is under review
- Measure traffic or speed problems in the study area before designing the intervention.
- Traffic calming measures are more effective when implemented with broader streetscape design efforts.
- Pedestrian refuge islands, sidewalks, crosswalks, yield signs, exclusive pedestrian signal phasing, and increased lighting can reduce the risk of pedestrian-vehicle crashes.
- Partnerships between local government, neighborhood schools, advocacy groups, local businesses, and city neighborhood councils can increase support for changes to traffic flows.
- Implementation should go beyond traffic outcomes and include ongoing education, community involvement, enforcement, and continued evaluation to ensure that changes are improving outcomes.