Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Traffic Calming topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DOT outlines plan to reduce traffic‑calming backlog, to publish protocol and a public dashboard
Summary
DOT officials said they are addressing a backlog of roughly 2,300 traffic‑calming requests by moving from prescriptive speed‑hump responses to neighborhood‑level solutions, publishing a new traffic‑calming protocol this fall and launching a public dashboard to track requests.
Baltimore City DOT told council members it is shifting its traffic‑calming approach away from primarily granting speed‑hump requests to a broader, neighborhood‑level toolkit and will publish clearer public guidance and a tracking dashboard.
Clea Baumhofer, chief of traffic engineering, told the committee that DOT has an “approximately 2,300”‑request backlog. She said the department will release a new traffic calming protocol this fall aligned with an updated 3‑1‑1 intake and will invest capital in the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Initiative to deliver holistic area‑wide solutions in priority communities.
Why it matters: Council members expressed frustration about long resolution times; DOT described a two‑track approach — triage using 3‑1‑1 and a new public portal and proactive capital investments targeted to neighborhoods with the greatest equity and safety needs.
Key commitments and details: - Data and transparency: DOT is developing a public traffic‑calming dashboard that links 3‑1‑1 requests to internal work order status; a draft exists and staff will brief council on progress over the summer. - Protocol and outreach: DOT will issue a new traffic calming protocol in the fall that explains which measures apply where, encourages holistic block‑level designs and expands public education on alternatives to speed humps (bump‑outs, bike lanes, signage). - Prioritization: The Neighborhood Traffic Calming Initiative will prioritize capital funds for areas with documented equity and safety needs rather than responding only to individual speed‑hump requests.
Council members offered support for public demonstrations and outreach materials to explain alternatives and build public understanding of tradeoffs; DOT said the approach aims to be more efficient and to reduce duplicate, prescriptive requests.
Ending: DOT committed to continue refining the dashboard and protocol, deliver briefings to council offices this summer, and use capital investments to begin neighborhood‑level traffic calming projects.
