The Transportation, Mobility, and Infrastructure Commission (TMIC) recently asked City staff for a report about the Residential Traffic Calming Program. This program was adopted by the West Sacramento City Council in July of 1998, and was revised in 2005 and again in 2007.

Since its introduction, the program has produced several successful results. Traffic calming measures have been installed in fourteen neighborhoods. Speed humps, speed cushions, traffic signing, road stripping, and a roundabout have all been installed, effectively addressing that particular traffic concern.

The Residential Traffic Calming Program was initially introduced locally to serve as a tool for neighborhoods that were impacted by excessive vehicle speeds, as well as cut-through traffic. The program was the result of a cooperative effort between West Sacramento residents and City staff. By working together, they developed “preferred” traffic calming measures that were based on program strategies and techniques that were previously implemented by other public agencies in the United States and Europe. These techniques can modify driver behavior and improve public safety.

Traffic calming can be described as “reducing the speed and volume of traffic to acceptable levels.” The Institute of Transportation Engineers’ publication “Traffic Calming: State of the Practice” defines traffic calming as “the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior, and improve conditions for non-motorized street users.”

Traffic calming includes physical and visual measures, as well as enforcement and educational activities. An important immediate goal is to reduce accidents and to provide safer environments for pedestrians and children. Urban redevelopment and the reduction of noise, pollution, and crime are long-term goals. Definitions of traffic calming vary, but they all share the goal of reducing vehicle speeds, improving safety, and enhancing quality of life.

Some include all three “Es” of traffic—education, enforcement, and engineering. Education, available methods, and tools that can be used to address neighborhood traffic concerns can be provided to the residents. Enforcement is handled by the police department. Engineering involves using proven traffic engineering principles to implement traffic calming strategies. They can work to change driver behavior and force drivers to slow down.

According to the Institute of Transportation Engineers, traffic calming involves “changes in street alignment, installation of barriers, and other physical measures to reduce traffic speeds and/or cut-through volumes, in the interest of street safety, livability, and other public purposes.” Speed humps—raised areas placed across the roadway—can be installed and are relatively inexpensive. They are very effective in slowing travel speeds. However, they can cause a “rough ride” for all drivers.

The West Sacramento Residential Traffic Calming Program requires community input. If a resident has issues in their neighborhood, they can fill out a form that requires at least 10 residents’ names, addresses, and phone numbers. After the West Sacramento Transportation Section receives the “petition form” they conduct an analysis to determine if the affected streets are eligible. The street must be a two-land residential or residential collector street with a posted speed limit of 25 mph. A speed survey must show an 85th percentile speed of 6 mph over the posted speed limit. The City staff will determine the presence of cut-through traffic. Affected streets have vehicular volumes of between 500 and 2,500 a day. The number of speed related accidents must exceed the number typically expected under normal conditions.

At the present time, the Residential Traffic Calming Program has no budget. During the 2008 budget approval process, the annual budget of $100,000 was re-allocated. No alternate funding source has been allocated to this program. It has been suspended pending future funding. Currently, there are nine neighborhoods that have expressed interest in participating in the program. Once the required funding source is available, the program will be updated.

Sources: “Residential Traffic Calming Program” City of West Sacramento, January 2005. Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Commission meeting November 2nd, 2015