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Commission hears South Hills neighborhood traffic‑calming report; staff to offer outreach materials
Summary
A staff walkthrough of South Hills found mixed views on speed humps and interest in alternatives such as paint treatments, landscaping and sidewalk connections; the commission discussed a neighborhood 'toolkit' for traffic‑calming options and an Adopt‑a‑Street cleanup program pilot.
The Morgantown Traffic Commission received a neighborhood meeting update on May 8 from staff who walked South Hills with residents and the interim city manager and reported mixed local views on installed speed humps and broader interest in traffic‑calming alternatives and sidewalks.
Caitlin Lewis, Community Development Services Coordinator, told the commission that South Hills residents were divided: some appreciated the speed humps for calming traffic, while others found them disruptive to daily travel. "We had about half and half opinions on who liked it and who doesn't like it," Lewis said.
Why it matters: neighborhoods across Morgantown report similar tradeoffs when choosing vertical speed controls (speed humps) versus lower‑impact interventions. Residents’ acceptance often depends on trip patterns and how frequently they must cross speed humps.
Lewis said the walk highlighted common neighborhood priorities — code enforcement, crack sealing and interest in growing the sidewalk network — and that many residents were not aware of alternatives such as painted street treatments or landscaping that can calm traffic without vertical controls. She proposed giving neighborhood groups a short, at‑a‑glance packet of options to help them advocate for specific solutions.
Commissioners discussed practical outreach materials and tactics. Ideas included a short FAQ or “Canva” one‑pager showing options, a resource guide linking to national design resources (NACTO), and a traffic‑calming lending library with cones, hay bales and other temporary devices to simulate changes in the street cross‑section. Chip Walmsley and Matthew Cross noted existing materials: Cross said a prior Neighborhood Traffic Management and Calming Program (2017) document is available on the traffic commission web page and could be adapted for neighborhood meetings.
Lewis also reported interest from the Greenmont Neighborhood Association in reviving an Adopt‑a‑Street program; the proposed city‑hosted program would ask volunteers or organizations to perform four cleanups per year and use Public Works to remove collected trash. The commission encouraged staff to outline an application process via the city website or 3‑1‑1.
Commissioners suggested staff follow up by assembling a brief toolkit for neighborhood meetings, making links to NACTO and other resources available on the traffic‑commission page, and exploring whether the traffic‑calming devices used by the city could be used more broadly as a lending library to neighborhoods.
