Charlottesville How to Stop Speeding on City Streets

Charlottesville: How to Stop Speeding on City Streets

Agenda • Roadway network and how speed limits are set • The Three “E’s” • Strategies for the City of Charlottesville

‘The majority of motorists… …drive in a safe and reasonable manner. ’ Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Special Report 254, Managing Speed: Review of Current Practice for Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits, 1998.

Factors of Speed Selection What are some of the factors that contribute to driver speed? – Capabilities of the driver and his vehicle – Physical characteristics of the roadway – Amount of side of the roadway interference – Weather conditions – Presence of other vehicles – Speed limits

Road Network Purpose of the roadway network is to facilitate the movement of people and goods • Safely • Efficiently • Cost-effectively

Functional Classification of Roads The road network is ordered hierarchically to achieve both mobility and access. – Mobility is the degree of ease of movement – Access is the ability to get where you need to go

Why Is Mobility Important? – Move people To school, to work, for recreation and other nearby trips – Move goods For commerce – Better air quality Less idling/keep traffic moving – Keep traffic out of neighborhoods Reduce “cut-through” traffic

Why Is Access Important? To be able to get to a destination – Via downtown streets – Via residential streets – Via driveways

Mobility and Access Arterials — High degree of mobility; lower degree of access. Example: Route 250 Bypass Collectors — Balance of mobility and access. Example: Park Street Local Streets — High degree of access; lower degree of mobility. Example: Hedge Street

Roadway Classes — Arterials • People use highways and other arterials for: – Longer trips – Faster trips • Highways, and other arterials, allow drivers to: – Travel with less interruptions (like traffic lights and stops signs) – Travel at higher speeds • Some characteristic of highways and other arterials are: – Fewer intersecting streets and driveways – Carries the most traffic on the least miles of road – Connects the central business district with outlying areas

Roadway Classes — Collectors • Collectors, such as Park Street, Stadium Road and Greenbrier Drive… – Allow for shorter trips than highways – Connect highways with residential streets • Collectors often allow drivers to travel at higher speeds than residential streets • Collectors allow drivers to make longer trips than residential streets • What would happen if the speed limit on collectors was the same as the speed limit on residential streets? – Drivers might use residential streets even MORE often! – Cut-through traffic would likely INCREASE on residential streets!

Roadway Classes — Local Roads • People use local roads, like residential and downtown streets to: – Make shorter trips – To get to their driveway, or another nearby destination • Vehicles on local roads, like residential and downtown streets: – Go at slower speeds – Are more pedestrian-friendly

Roadway Classification A mix of arterials, collectors, and local roads is absolutely necessary – To allow for safe and efficient movement of people and goods – To prevent “cut-through” traffic on residential streets – To alleviate speeding on residential streets

How Are Speed Limits Set? • Conduct a speed study • Some factors that contribute to speed limit are: – – – Current travel speed of most drivers (85 th percentile) Accident history Roadway geometrics Number of pedestrians using the roadway Adjacent roadside development • National standard for setting speed limits (MUTCD and AASHTO)

How Are Speed Limits Set? Selecting a speed limit based on the traveling speed of most drivers under “normal” conditions ensures: – Safety – Efficiency – Compliance

How Are Speed Limits Set? What happens if a speed limit is not set by this standard method? – Speed limit becomes subjective – Puts those drivers who are obeying the law at risk for accidents – Harder to enforce – Drivers don’t comply — they speed!

Who Has Authority? State Role in Setting Speed Limits: – Every state has a basic speed statute which requires drivers to operate their vehicles at a speed that is reasonable and prudent for existing conditions. – State statutes authorize maximum speed limits that may vary by roadway function and type, characteristics, location, and other factors (Virginia Code § 46. 2 -870). – – Many states (incl. VA) enable local governments to set speed limits in defined areas; a traffic engineering study is required.

Local Authority in Virginia Cities can increase or decrease speed limits within their jurisdiction: – Conduct an engineering and traffic investigation as required by City Ordinance Article IV. Speed Limits Sec. 15 -96. – Demonstrate need – Clearly define the speed limit with signs and markers

Common Misconceptions • FALSE: If you lower the speed limit, people will drive slower. • FALSE: People will drive faster when the speed limit is raised. • FALSE: Lowering the speed limit will result in fewer accidents and increase safety. It is TRUE that most people will travel at the “natural” speed of free-flowing traffic, regardless of the speed limit. It is TRUE that travel is more dangerous when motorists are traveling at varying speeds.

What Other States are Doing… • Some cities have established a 25 mph speed limit on all city streets unless otherwise posted • Most cities have very low speed limits for special, designated areas, such as school and construction zones • There are no known cities that have approved a 25 mph speed limit on all city streets.

Geographical Location Description of Proposed Change to Speed Limit Decision City of Ashland, Oregon Pedestrian safety concerns prompted the City Council to consider adopting a city-wide 25 mph speed limit. Speed limits are governed by state regulations. City decided to focus on education and enforcement: Educational programs and signage Stricter enforcement policy Additional enforcement officers (staff) to implement safety education program City of Colorado Springs, Colorado Due to driver speeding and public safety concerns, the City Council considered adopting a city-wide 25 mph speed limit. Established a “Citywide 25” Program. The speed limit is 25 mph on all streets in the city unless posted otherwise. Following a series of traffic engineering studies, the speed limit was raised on 30% of the arterials and collectors studied.

How To Stop Speeding Three Steps — The “Three E’s” 1. Education 2. Enforcement 3. Engineering

Steps — The Three E’s 1. EDUCATION — First Step – Least costly – Most effective 2. ENFORCEMENT — Next Step – Often needed to change bad behavior 3. ENGINEERING — Last Resort – Most expensive

Strategies for the City of Charlottesville • Identification of streets where drivers speed and “cutthrough” residential neighborhoods • Data collection and analysis – – Vehicle speeds Vehicle volumes Vehicle type Existing methods of controlling speed • Education and public outreach • Enforcement and monitoring • Engineering solutions – – Development of neighborhood plans Use of traffic control devices Use of traffic calming techniques Change speed limit where necessary

City of Charlottesville Speed limits on several city streets are posted lower than the “natural” free-flowing travel of most drivers: – – – – Avon Street Barracks Road Elliott Avenue Emmet Street Jefferson Park Avenue Preston Avenue 5 th Street SW Route 250 Bypass

Preliminary Data Collection

Education First, understand…Why do people speed? – To get from one place to another as quickly as possible. – Uncongested, convenient routes are often selected by drivers.

Education Funding is needed to work with neighborhood groups and community leaders – Use community input to refine problem locations – Develop an assortment of solutions to implement over appropriate time period

Education Public outreach campaign to inform the community of proposed changes and provide opportunity for comment: – – – – Temporary signs on roadways (variable message boards, etc. ) Press releases for local newspapers Radio and television public service announcements Flyers for kids to take home from school Display advertisement in public places, like libraries and city hall Work with community groups and police to “spread the word” Sponsor educational table/booth at local events, like festivals and fairs, government services fair, etc.

Enforcement • • • Short grace period before new enforcement efforts start Prominent posting of speed limit Police visibility is essential Driver responsibility to know the speed limit Laws are established to protect the public and the regulation of unreasonable behavior of a few individuals • Laws cannot be effectively enforced without the compliance of the majority • Strict enforcement in locations where greater than 15% of drivers do not observe the speed limit • Stiff fines for non-compliance

Engineering Solutions • Allow best mobility on arterials; maintain street classification hierarchy • Employ traffic calming techniques on downtown and residential streets • Change speed limit only where necessary Well designed streets can help control speed.

Engineering Solutions • Accidents often result from vehicles traveling at different speeds (rather than high speeds) • Good communication with the motorist is necessary, particularly under these circumstances • Appropriate traffic control devices promote roadway safety and efficiency • Implement traffic calming techniques on downtown and residential streets

Efforts in Progress Focused neighborhood efforts include: – Woolen Mills data collection, traffic calming, and Franklin Street truck traffic – Locust Grove data collection, traffic calming, and Calhoun Street cut-through traffic – Ridge Street data collection, intersection analysis, and access – Fifeville data collection, traffic calming, and 7. 5 Street safety – Venable data collection, traffic calming, “YOUR SPEED” sign, and intersection improvements

Summary – What Can We Do? • Address speed limits using accepted national standards • Conduct a public information and education campaign • Increase enforcement of existing speed limits – More police staff are needed • Develop appropriate, location-specific neighborhood plans • Change speed limit only where necessary

Bibliography American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (4 th Edition), 2001. Burden, Dan, Mark Fenton and Ken Sides, “Best Practices in Healthy Street Designs, ” ITE Technical Conference materials, 2003. City of Ashland, http: //www. ashland. or. us/Agendas. asp? Display=Minutes&AMID=426, 2001. City of Colorado Springs, www. springsgov. com/Page. asp? Nav. ID=6187, 2006. City of Mesquite, www. cityofmesquite. com/engineering/speedlimits. php, 2006. City of Evanston, www. cityofevanston. org/departments/police/traffic/speed. shtml, 2006. Code of Virginia, Chapters 46. 2– 870 through 46. 2– 878 and 46. 2– 1300, 1950. Ewing, Reid, Traffic Calming: State of the Practice, 1999. Gresham, Smith and Partners, “Department of Public Works: Nashville Neighborhood Traffic Management Pilot Program, ” 1998. Henrico County Public Works – Traffic Calming Program, www. co. henrico. va. us/works/trafficcalming. htm, 2006. Institute of Transportation Engineers, Speed Zone Guidelines, A Proposed Recommended Practice, 1993. Institute of Transportation Engineers, Survey of Speed Zoning Practices, 2001. National Technical Information Service, http: //www. ntis. gov/, 2006. Transportation Research Board, Highway Capacity Manual, 2000. Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Special Report 254, Managing Speed: Review of Current Practice for Setting and Enforcing Speed Limits, 1998. Transportation Research Information Service (TRIS), http: //ntlsearch. bts. gov/tris/index. do, 2006. Virginia Department of Transportation, www. virginiadot. org/comtravel/faq-speedlimits. asp, 2006. U. S. Department of Transportation, FHWA, Speed Management Strategic Initiative, September 2005. U. S. Department of Transportation, FHWA, Synthesis of Safety Research Related to Speed and Speed Management, Publication No. FHWA-RD-98 -154, 1998. U. S. Department of Transportation, FHWA, Speed Management, www. safety. fhwa. dot. gov/speed_manage/index. htm, 2006.

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