Bel Air commissioners question speed-hump installation after data shows it did not meet criteria

Bel Air commissioners delayed approving a previously announced traffic-calming hump on the 500 block of Broadway after neighborhood data and town scoring showed the location did not meet the department’s threshold for that measure.

The issue drew more than 90 minutes of discussion at the Board of Town Commissioners’ July 15 work session as commissioners, public safety and public works staff and residents debated process, fairness across neighborhoods and what to do next.

Commissioners said they were troubled that residents had been told the hump was guaranteed after resurfacing, when the town’s scoring of two speed studies — one done in summer and re-run in October — produced 30 out of 50 points, short of the 50 points required to qualify for a level‑2 hump. Chair Eddington said, “If it doesn't meet the criteria for a speed bump, I don't think we should be putting one in.”

Town staff explained the Neighborhood Transportation Management Program (NTMP) scoring and said the town’s criteria mirror county standards in many respects but include additional metrics such as sight-distance and accident history. Kevin Small, planning director, described the NTMP scoring ranges: level 1 (0–49), level 2 (50–75) and level 3 (75+). Staff said the Broadway location scored about 30/50, with an average speed measured at roughly 27 mph and most vehicles clustered near the posted 25 mph limit.

Commissioners and staff identified three separate problems they want to address before any final action: (1) process clarity (how a neighborhood petition advanced without clear authority or a commissioner-level decision), (2) technical criteria (how the town scoring compares with Harford County’s practice) and (3) equity (how to apply the same standard fairly to other neighborhoods that request humps). Several commissioners said they want the town to request the county’s criteria and reasoning for placing humps along Ardmore to Moores Mill Road for comparison.

No formal vote to install a hump was taken. Instead, the board directed staff to: obtain Harford County’s criteria and rationale for its contiguous speed-hump installations; consider whether another traffic study should be run after schools resume in the fall (the previous studies were done in summer and October); and report back to commissioners. Several members emphasized that any physical installation or expenditure would require a formal commission approval.

Context and next steps: Commissioners said the incident revealed gaps in communication between the NTMP committee, staff and the elected board. Several members supported appointing a nonvoting commissioner liaison to the NTMP or instituting a standing report from the committee to the Board, so future recommendations would be visible to the full commission before implementation. Staff said the town can schedule another speed count in the fall and will pursue answers from the county about criteria used for long stretches of county-installed humps. The board offered an apology to residents for the confusion about whether the hump was guaranteed.

No action to install a traffic hump was authorized at the meeting; the board asked staff to return with county criteria, any additional fall traffic data and recommended process changes for future NTMP requests.