Littleton staff present draft traffic-calming toolbox; residents press for clearer data and outreach

City of Littleton transportation staff presented a draft neighborhood traffic-calming evaluation and an eight-treatment “toolbox” at the Transportation Mobility Board meeting on 2025-02-11, laying out preferred designs and examples for slowing vehicles on local streets and at trail crossings.

The draft, presented by Kyle Morris, an engineer with the Transportation Group, recommended eight preferred treatments — including speed cushions, raised pedestrian crossings (speed tables), traffic circles, curb extensions, chicanes and pinch points, pedestrian refuge islands, pedestrian hybrid beacons/RRFB-style beacons for mid-block crossings, and diverters — and included design guidance, pilot examples and five early location designs to test the toolbox on Littleton streets.

Morris said the evaluation grew out of an existing-infrastructure assessment, peer-review of Denver and Boulder practices and pilot projects the city has installed. “This project is aimed at fostering safety and reducing speeds on priority roadways, specifically local streets and neighborhood connectors,” Morris said. He told the board the city has more than 80 traffic-calming features installed since 1997 (the consultants’ count was 79 before recent pilots) and that staff used a phone-data service called Urban SDK to screen for locations needing follow-up speed studies.

Why it matters: staff and the board tied the toolbox to the city’s Safer Streets initiative and the pending Transportation Master Plan (TMP) update. Board members and residents pressed staff for clear before-and-after data on pilot projects, for accessible design features for people with disabilities, and for a robust public outreach plan before wider rollouts.

Key elements and…