What is Traffic Calming? *

Traffic calming is the term that has come to be used for the application of traffic engineering and other physical measures designed to control traffic speeds and encourage driving behavior appropriate to the environment. It is important to remember that the measures can include the use of traditional traffic engineering techniques, as well as a variety of other measures more recently introduced such as speed humps, traffic circles, chicanes and diverters. Also included are the use of visual messages, either explicit such as signing, or implicit such as landscaping.

The essence of traffic calming lies not in the use of specific measures, but in the overall objectives to create safer roads and better environmental conditions. The strategic objectives are:

• improving driver behavior, concentration and awareness,

• reducing speed, disturbance and anxiety,

• enhancing the environment.

Influencing human behavior can be achieved directly by education, training and publicity as well as indirectly, by using environmental and engineering measures. The environmental and engineering measures aim to create situations that induce safe driver behavior and reduce the chance for unsafe conditions to occur. Traffic calming, using both environmental and engineering measures, has an important role to play in influencing behavior, especially that of inconsiderate drivers who drive too fast for prevailing conditions or with a lack of care and attention.

Traffic calming can be applied to be many different situations although the greatest focus is in urban residential areas. Main roads through the center of small towns and villages and roads in environmentally sensitive locations may also be suitable for traffic calming. It is important to acknowledge that no "off-the-shelf" solutions are available. A fundamental tenet of traffic calming is that any scheme should be designed to fit the particular circumstances of its location.

As the public has become more aware of traffic calming, and as the legislative basis and technical experience have developed, calls for traffic calming, in one form or another have increased. Most schemes are intended to tackle problems over a street or an area rather than at a single point.

Safety is an essential objective for virtually all traffic calming schemes, not only in terms of accidents recorded, but also because of the degree of danger felt by people using the streets concerned.

The initial interest in traffic calming stemmed from a number of considerations. Prominent was safety with increasing concern expressed at the numbers of road accidents, particularly among the more vulnerable members of society. Another worry was rising traffic volumes on main roads causing vehicles to cut through neighborhood streets not suited to through traffic. Also there were concerns about the widespread disregard for speed limits. All of these factors have contributed to extensive public pressure for measures to civilize traffic particularly in sensitive areas.

Environmental improvement has become subject in its own right for many traffic calming projects although such an approach will not be possible or affordable everywhere.

Concern over the adverse environmental and health effects of traffic has increased considerably in recent years. Reducing the speed and volume of traffic can contribute to a better local environment, but it may often be possible, through imaginative design and the use of appropriate materials, to provide further enhancement.

The development of traffic calming measures into a holistic approach to the use of street space can change the character of the street, which in turn, helps to encourage appropriate driving behavior. Traffic calming is increasingly incorporating wider quality of life issues. While inherently difficult to quantify, quality of life issues are regarded as important by many people.

Traffic calming projects are generally no less expensive than traditional traffic management schemes. Some may be cheaper and still have an effect but, because of the need to give greater consideration to the materials being used, and their maintenance, they often cost more.

Traffic calming projects should be designed to fit in with the surrounding environment. What is appropriate for a residential area may not be appropriate for a historic town center and vice versa. Project development may therefore involve traffic engineers, town planners, landscape architects and other disciplines, especially when environmental objectives are important. Designers must take into account not only those who use the road, but also those who live and work near it. Among road users particular attention should be given to the needs of emergency services, school buses, public transit, waste carriers and others who may have difficulty in negotiating some traffic calming measures. Early consultations with these organizations are essential. Consultation with the police is essential for traffic calming measures to be implemented successfully.

Other problems may affect specific groups and certain locations. The interests of vulnerable road users, cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists require particular attention, and the needs of people with disabilities must be taken into account. Near schools and shops, consultation with principals, shop keepers and appropriate organizations are necessary.

The effects of traffic calming measures must also be considered over a wide area as measures in one neighborhood can cause traffic to divert to roads in adjacent neighborhoods.

If you believe that neighborhood traffic calming is an idea that may be effective in your neighborhood or in certain areas of your city, please contact Dean Tekell Consulting for more information. Additional information on traffic calming is available on our LINKS page.

* Traffice Calming in Practice, County Surveyors' Soceity/Landor Publishing Ltd, Quadrant House, London, U.K., November 1994.