Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program
To address recurring, dangerous speeding problems on neighborhood streets, the City of Chillicothe will take a comprehensive approach to slow traffic and increase safety starting with the following target neighborhood streets:
- S. Watt Street
- Allen Avenue
- Piatt Avenue
- Tritscheller Road (Yoctangee Park)
The goal is to create a long-term solution that will reduce speeding and increase safety for all users regardless of the mode of transportation. Efforts will include targeted traffic enforcement, speeds signs, speed bumps, demonstration pop-ups using traffic circles, bump outs, and/or chicanes, and education.
The Traffic Calming Program will include three main phases, with recommendations for permanent solutions following the four-month project. The phases are listed below and detailed at the bottom of the page.
- Preliminary data collection - Speed signs and public survey
- Targeted Traffic Enforcement by Chillicothe Police Department
- Pop-up demonstrations using traffic calming strategies
Learn more about traffic calming measures, besides police enforcement, that help slow traffic and increase safety. Sources: Global Designing Cities Initiative & SMATS Traffic Calming Measures
Traffic Circles Add a round center island to intersections. Drivers must slow down and change directions to navigate. These circles require drivers to slow down and pay attention to their surroundings in order to maneuver around them. Traffic circles create pedestrian crossing and landscaping opportunities, making them ideal for busier residential roads with traffic cut-through and higher speeds. Traffic circles are NOT roundabouts.
Speed Bumps/Humps/Tables Rounded, raised areas of pavement that require drivers to reduce their speed in order to maintain comfort and prevent vehicle damage. Speed bumps/humps can reduce the average speed by 10-25% between humps.
Chicanes Pairs of bump outs that introduce curves into otherwise straight roads and encourage people to drive 10-30 percent slower as they weave through them. This requires motorists to steer back and forth in order to navigate the road, causing speed reductions and more cautious driving. Chicanes work best on low volume roadways with lower speed limits, making them ideal for residential neighborhoods.
Bump Outs Strategically narrow streets and intersections to encourage people to slow down. Additionally, bump outs reduce pedestrian crossing distances. Check out the intersection of Paint Street and Second Street to see these in person.
Lane narrowing can be accomplished through widening of sidewalks, creating bicycle lanes, landscaping, or inserting raised medians in the center of the roadway. Narrow lanes encourage driver alertness, and cause motorists to slow down in order to increase driving comfort. Narrowed lanes also contribute to residential areas by providing more room for pedestrian activity and greener streets.
Phases
Post Data Collection + Analysis
Police targeted traffic enforcement will cease in June, but speed data will continue to be collected through speed signs. Public input from the demonstration project will also be collected and analyzed.
The Planning Department will provide a report on the effectiveness of targeted traffic enforcement and the demonstration project based on data and public feedback and make recommendations regarding making the traffic calming tactic permanent. The recommendations will be presented to the Mayor and City Council along with next steps for installation of permanent traffic calming measures, if warranted. Additionally, the report will compare the June data to March/April data to determine if traffic enforcement had a short-term impact on changing behavior. Where an impact in reduction of speed remains, data collection will remain, but targeted traffic enforcement will cease. Where unsafe driving returns immediately, traffic enforcement will resume. Report including new traffic enforcement parameters will be drafted.
The report will be shared with the public here on Engage Chillicothe and social media.
