NDOT proposes speed cushions, radar signs for Mulberry Downs Circle after 85th-percentile speeds hit 47 mph

David Creams, an engineer with the Nashville Department of Transportation(NDOT), presented a draft traffic calming plan for Mulberry Downs Circle on July 28, 2025, proposing speed cushions, radar-feedback speed signs and lane narrowing after NDOT field counts showed an 85th-percentile speed of 47 mph on a street posted at 30 mph.

The proposal responds to safety concerns raised by residents who told NDOT they regularly observe high speeds on the stretch from Berrywood Way to Dickerson Pike. "With the speeds we're seeing, that checks out," Creams said, noting the project was selected in March 2025 from more than 600 applications and landed among the top 25 prioritized streets.

NDOT staff said the primary program goal is speed reduction because lower vehicle speeds reduce the severity of collisions involving pedestrians and cyclists. The draft design presented on the call includes four to five modular speed cushions (each about 3 inches tall), radar-feedback signs in the more wooded sections, and a restriping…