Elk Grove’s Speed Control Program
Nothing can be as unnerving as careless drivers speeding through my neighborhood in total disregard of the posted 25 MPH speed limit. What makes this even more scary is the fact that our kids are often traveling by bicycle to the park and walking to and from school on this same street. Why motorists fail to slow down when children are present is beyond me. They must not have any kids of their own!
Thankfully, the City of Elk Grove’s Speed Control Program is addressing these types of neighborhood concerns.
To be considered for Elk Grove’s Speed Control Program you start by completing a petition form. It helps if your neighbors share the same concern because there is strength in numbers here. Get as many of your neighbors to sign the petition as possible. Completing and turning in the form is the first step to receiving speed reduction devices on your local neighborhood streets. If you can prove that your street qualifies for such speed reduction measures you may become the lucky recipient of vertical devices that well help to reduce speed on your street. Some of these speed reduction improvements are referred to as “vertical devices”:
- Speed Hump – 3.5″ high and 12 feet in length with a crossing speed of 15 to 20 mph
- Speed Lump – Much like a speed hump but also includes two wheel sections that allow fire personnel to pass through without totally slowing down.
- Speed Table – also know as flat top speed humps, speed platforms, raised crosswalks, or raised crossings. These are about 22 feet in length and provide a more gentle ride for buses than regular speed humps. Fire personnel experience less slowing of their trucks with speed tables.
The examples above are commonly referred to as Traffic Calming Solutions.
In order for your street to qualify for Humps, Lumps or Tables your street should meet the following criteria:
- A local and residential two-lane street
- A minimum of 750 feet in between each traffic control device
- A 25 mph sign must be posted on the street
- Must be located in or near an area with >75 percent residential, parks, or school frontage
- 500-2000 cars must pass over this area on average per day
- Excessive speed of over 35 mph will have to be shown in order to receive vertical devices.
The Fire Department may also have some say in this matter when the installation of vertical devices are on a thoroughfare that they normally use. We do not want to slow our emergency responders down!
If your street qualifies, the next step is to rank the requests. The City of Elk Grove will collect traffic information, speed limit infraction data and also look at the adjacent land use. Once this study is performed they use it to see which streets have the highest need:
• Average Daily Traffic – 1 point for every car passing over the street being tested
• Traffic Speed – 1 point for each mile over the posted 25 mph speed limit
• Land use: 1 point for each residence or apartment unit near the street being tested
1 point for each 25 feet of apartment fronts
1 point for each 25 feet of school fronts
1 point for every 25 feet of park or playgrounds near the street being tested
If your street does qualify you will be placed in a rank of importance. Some streets are more dangerous than others. If your street does not qualify, you may re-apply in 2 years.
The number of streets that qualify will also be based on available construction funding.
I’m Ed Smith, an Elk Grove Auto Accident Attorney with the most informative and comprehensive accident website, AutoAccident.com.
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