What is traffic calming?

Traffic calming is a strategy intended to reduce the impact of motor vehicle traffic on a City street. Usually this strategy is implemented in residential areas. Traffic calming measures can be any combination of roadway modifications, planning features, or traffic control devices that are intended to slow cars down or lower the volume of traffic.

There are three levels of traffic calming:

  1. Education and Enforcement seeks to reduce speeds through increased neighborhood awareness.
  2. Passive Measures are signing and striping effects that are intended to influence speed or volumes. Regulatory signs, landscape, and pavement markings are passive measures.
  3. Active Measures are physical changes to a roadway. Examples of active measures include speed humps and road closures.

Show All Answers

1. What is a Neighborhood Traffic Management Plan?
2. What is traffic calming?
3. How do I get traffic calming measures installed on my street?