Lafayette commission backs speed humps on Glen Road, third hump depends on council funding

The City of Lafayette Traffic and Circulation Commission on May 5 voted to recommend installation of speed humps on Glen Road to address speeding and pedestrian safety concerns.

City staff told the commission the 2024 traffic calming program received a resident-driven application for Glen Road and staff "recommend[ed] construction of 2 or 3 speed humps along Glen Road between North Thompson Road and Monticello Road subject to approval of future funding of the Traffic Calming Sinking Fund." The commission voted unanimously to forward that recommendation to the City Council and said if only two humps are funded it prefers the two on the long straightaway between Monticello Road and Nordstrom Lane.

Staff said the Glen Road application covered the entire street, which has about 55 homes and carries between about 650 and 1,110 vehicles per day depending on location. Data collected on weekdays over 48 hours showed elevated speeds: at 1141 Glen Road the 80th-percentile speed exceeded 30 mph (the posted speed limit is 25 mph), with about 70% of vehicles over 25 mph and more than 20% over 30 mph. A second collection point at 1085 Glen Road showed an 80th-percentile speed near 29 mph and 50–60% of vehicles over 25 mph, with fewer than 10% over 30 mph.

"So what we're recommending for Glen Road are speed humps," a staff member said, showing examples used elsewhere in Lafayette. Staff described the proposed humps as 3 to 3.5 inches high, with ramps of 3 to 6 feet, and said they would be sited to meet sight-distance requirements (about 150 feet) and avoid driveways and underground utilities.

The staff recommendation calls for three humps spaced roughly 375–500 feet apart to cover the straightaway and approaches. Staff also noted that current funds available for the project would only cover two humps and associated signage and striping; construction of a third hump would be contingent on City Council approval of additional traffic calming sinking-fund allocations. The transcript contains differing spoken figures about the requested additional funding; staff initially described the request as $50,000 to place into the sinking fund and later referenced a different amount; the commission record cites the need for council approval rather than a final dollar figure.

Three residents spoke in support during public comment. Laurie McAdams, who lives at 1141 Glen Road and helped organize the application, said the neighborhood gathered signatures by section and that about two-thirds of fronting households signed the petition: "we did get more than were required on Glen Road" and residents are "really happy to slow down traffic." Another longtime resident said if only two humps were possible, the lower-street locations were the priority because drivers accelerate coming off North Thompson Road. Lauren Bowden, who said she grew up in the neighborhood and now has young children, called Glen Road "scary" at times and said humps would help families and people walking dogs.

Commissioners discussed alternatives such as radar-speed signs and other awareness measures; staff said Glen Road's narrow cross section and open roadside drainage ditches limit placement options for some devices and that radar-display signs tend to be less effective over time with local drivers. The commission also noted previous local evaluations showing speed humps substantially reduce 80th-percentile speeds and nearly eliminate the worst speeding over 30 mph while generally not shifting traffic volumes to other streets.

The motion before the commission instructed staff to recommend the three-hump configuration to the City Council, with the contingency that if council funding allows only two humps the commission supports installing the two humps on the straightaway between Monticello Road and Nordstrom Lane. The motion passed with four ayes, no nays, and one commissioner absent.

The commission will forward the recommendation to the City Council, which must authorize funding from the traffic calming sinking fund before the third hump can be added. If council approves the project funding, staff said final design and construction could proceed this summer.

Votes at a glance: The Commission approved recommending design and construction of speed humps on Glen Road (approved unanimously by commissioners present).