Research Brief Volume No.

11

Traffic Calming Devices and Techniques

Traffic calming treatments are physical additions to roads that help lower speeds and/or reduce traffic volumes. These
physical measures can be built into any neighborhood, either a retrofit into an existing neighborhood or as the subdivsion
is being built.
Residents are often concerned with the traffic in front of
their house. Either traffic is going too fast or there is too
much of it, sometimes both. Traffic calming treatments,
or measures, are options developed to address those
concerns. Done properly, the benefit of traffic calming
treatments can be reduced vehicle speeds and/or volumes
in addition to happier residents.
Some treatments are more effective than others. Speed
humps, structures in the road gentler than a speed bump,
placed every few hundred feet are the most effective way
of significantly reducing vehicle speeds. Narrowing the road
has less impact on vehicle speeds. Closing off one end of a
road is obviously most effective at reducing volume.
The addition of traffic calming in a neighborhood is often
a big change for those living there. Past experience has
shown that the residents raising the initial concerns often
dislike the traffic calming measures, even if the treatments
are effective. This is because things such as speed humps
can be unpleasant to drive over five to ten times a day.
The input of the neighborhood, and adjacent neighborhoods,
is crucial to the process. Directing traffic to another street
may be great for the residents living along the newly calmed
street but just shifting the traffic volumes over does not
solve the big picture problem. In fact, you are negatively
impacting the residents along the street onto which the
traffic has been diverted.
To avoid costly improvements that the residents actually do
not want, the following process is recommended if a city is
going to consider a traffic calming project.
Require a neighborhood petition.
Hold a series of public meetings for the neighborhood,
and adjacent neighborhoods.
Use paint, traffic cones, barrels, and another temporary
means of installing the chosen treatments to test their
effectiveness and neighborhood acceptance.
If the test goes well, then the measures can be installed
permanently.

In some cities, an ordinance states that the city will pay for
the installation, but the residents will be assessed if they
want the traffic calming device removed. Having a financial
component for the residents should help them carefully
consider whether to support any traffic calming treatments.
Consider adding calming treatments when a road is in the
design stage. These treatments will cost almost nothing
when added to an initial construction or a reconstruction
project.

Treatment Types
Typical traffic calming treatments try to divert motorists
or slow them down through the following methods:
Vertical impediments, such as speed humps, will make
driving too fast uncomfortable.
Horizontal shifts, such as chicanes, will force drivers to
turn their vehicle and usually drive slower through the
turns.
Narrowing the road will make the corridor seem less open,
which generally makes fast driving less comfortable.
Closing the through road, either partially or fully, will
physically force drivers to use other routes.

Research Brief Volume No. 11

Limitations
Can be costly if not part of a new, or reconstruction,
project.
Potential local community opposition.
Reduced accessibility
commuters.

for

local

residents

and

Standard Traffic Calming Treatments

The list below provides the most common traffic
calming treatments in use today. More information on
any item can be obtained through the resources listed
at the bottom of the page or through a simple internet
search:

Greater drive time and reduced accessibility for

semi-trucks and emergency vehicles.

Center Islands

They are only effective on local streets or minor

collectors.

Textured Pavement

Not appropriate for busy roads, those with over 4,000

vehicles per day.
Posted speed limit should be 30 mph or less.

Speed Humps
Chicanes
Chokers
Diverters/Diagonal Barriers

Typically only useful for two-lane, two-way roadways.

Full Closures

The best method to control speeds and volumes on

residential streets is a proper roadway hierarchy, which
plans for roadways with higher use and speeds. Direct
residential driveway access can then be minimized on
those planned routes.

Half Closures

Speed Tables

Traffic Circles

Angled Slow Points

Raised Crosswalks
Raised Intersections
Realigned Intersections
Roundabouts
Speed Humps
Speed Tables

Median Barriers
Roundabouts
Reduced Intersection Turning Radius
Intersection Neckdowns / Mid-Block Bulb-Outs
Striped Bicycle Lanes, which narrows traffic lanes

Resources
Fehr & Peers TrafficCalming.org (very good description of the
different treatments available)

Institute of Transportation Engineers Traffic Calming

Measures

Pennsylvanias Traffic Calming Handbook

Federal Highway Administration Traffic Calming

Seattles Traffic Calming Policy

About This Brief

Spack Consulting prepared this brief as part of our companys vision to significantly improve the practice of traffic engineering
and transportation planning. Transportation professionals from around the world have assisted us in developing this
document. We are providing this brief under the Creative Commons Attribution License. Feel free to use-modify-share this
guide, but please give us some credit in your document. To request our whole series of Design Briefs and to be included
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