City engineering outlines neighborhood traffic-calming process; council requests public education and data sharing

Wesley Cox, the city's director of traffic engineering, introduced a presentation on the neighborhood traffic-calming program and described the six-step process the department uses for citizen requests: submit a neighborhood petition or representative, review eligibility by street classification, collect speed/volume and crash data, determine whether traffic-calming infrastructure is warranted, prioritize candidates, then design and implement measures.

Consultants from Jacobs (Nick Freeman and Dwayne Tedder) gave an overview of best practices used in similar-sized cities in the Southeast, including data-driven evaluation, prioritization of requests based on speeds, crashes and equity, and funding approaches. They noted some jurisdictions set aside annual line items for speed-hump funds, and others use cost-sharing with neighborhoods.

Cox said requests should come from neighborhoods or a named representative and that staff will identify affected areas and alternate routes before recommending measures. He said staff coordinates with the police department on enforcement and encourages targeted enforcement if data show problems at specific times.

Councilmembers emphasized the need for public education about the process so residents understand that 311 requests trigger traffic engineering review and that a single call does not automatically result in a speed-hump installation. One councilmember suggested town halls, PSAs and posting the presentation materials so residents and neighborhood associations can learn how the program works. Council asked staff to provide data and slides to councilmembers and to follow up on constituent questions.

No formal action was recorded; the presentation was informational and council requested staff to disseminate materials and consider public outreach.