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Flagstaff staff propose speed humps as traffic‑calming tool; council expresses support and requests cost/maintenance plan
Summary
Transportation staff recommended adding speed humps (and cushions on priority routes) to Flagstaff’s residential traffic‑management toolbox with a lowered threshold for action (10% of vehicles exceeding the speed by 5 mph). Council members broadly supported the addition and asked for budget and maintenance estimates and coordination with public works and public safety.
Jeff Bowman and Sydney Juby of the transportation division presented a proposal to add speed humps to the city's residential traffic‑calming toolbox. Staff described technical parameters — humps about 3–4 inches high and 12–14 feet long that typically reduce speeds by 5–13 mph in the immediate vicinity — engineering limits (grades ≤8%, spacing of roughly 250–600 feet, avoid critical emergency routes) and an adjusted complaint threshold (proposing 10% of vehicles exceeding the speed by 5 mph rather than the current 30%).
Staff also described alternatives for minor collectors and emergency routes (speed cushions that allow wider emergency vehicles to straddle humps), signage, grade and drainage considerations, and snow‑plow and maintenance impacts. Estimated per‑hump construction cost was given as about $7,500 (excluding mobilization/design), and staff said signage and marking maintenance will be recurring costs.
Council members reacted positively to adding the tool and to lowering the threshold for action in neighborhoods where slower speeds would improve safety and quality of life. Several asked staff to return with detailed maintenance/cost estimates, plow‑operation impacts and a proposed funding approach (including an annual traffic‑calming budget rather than asking neighbors to reimburse installations).
Outcome: Council supported adding speed humps to the residential traffic‑management guide and asked staff to take the draft policy to the Transportation Commission and to return with a budget/maintenance plan and further coordination with Fire, Public Works and Stormwater.
