My traffic calming site has now been available for several years. It is clear that traffic calming is more than a passing fashion and is now being widely used.
It is less clear, however, which traffic calming measures should be used in any given circumstances; or indeed if any traffic calming is necessary or appropiate. Public officials are often under a great deal of pressure to undertake traffic calming [at sometimes great expense] to address a perceived community problem.
The current state of the art in traffic calming is in need of criteria or guidelines for when traffic calming is most necessary. Speed humps often yield the ‘most bang for the buck’ and are frequently requested by the public. Criteria for when they are appropriate are needed. To further this debate on the need for traffic calming and ,in particular, speed humps, I am attaching a set of criteria which I drafted and have been in use for several years.
I welcome comment.
Peter Partington
May 2007
Traffic Calming Blog 