Essex Junction council reviews draft traffic-calming policy after months of staff work

Essex Junction — City staff on Aug. 13 presented a draft traffic-calming policy that expands the city’s options for slowing vehicles, replaces the neighborhood petition step in some cases and creates a scoring system to prioritize projects.

The draft, prepared by Community Development Director Chris Ewing with research by a UVM student and input from police, public works and city engineering, would add measures beyond the current “Drive 25” cones and speed tables — including mini-roundabouts, chicanes, raised crosswalks, median islands, radar feedback signs and temporary (pilot) installations.

The policy aims to focus limited city resources on the highest-impact locations by applying a scoring rubric when a request is received and by allowing staff to recommend pilot projects before any permanent work. “We are not going to solve this problem. No matter what we do here and in this policy, people will continue to speed,” Ewing said, calling the draft a “pathway” for future work rather than a cure-all.

Why it matters: councilors and staff stressed the plan would change how residents request work. The existing process requires petition signatures from 70% of households on a street before implementation. The draft recommends replacing that requirement with a prioritized scoring approach and public meetings run…