Neighborhood Traffic Control Program

The Neighborhood Traffic Control Program (PDF) consists of various methods available to address items frequently cited as disruptive to residential streets, alleys, and neighborhoods. Primarily, drivers exceeding the speed limit and cut-through traffic are targeted. Speeding is one of the most frequent operational complaints about residential streets. However, on-street parking or other such items can also be addressed.

Policies

Policies have been developed for the following:

• Installation of all-way stops
• Installation of alley bumps
• Installation of special neighborhood awareness signs
• Installation of street humps

Future policies may be developed to provide residents with methods of actually checking or observing the speed of approaching vehicles, requesting parking restrictions, and other items.

Restrictions

Responding to neighborhood requests can often be a challenging proposition. The installation of most traffic control devices imposes a restriction on some road users in order to benefit other users. When such a restriction is based on accepted traffic engineering principles the installation can be easily justified. However, if no accepted basis exists, it is difficult to justify such installations to the impacted road users.

Roads Users & the Residents

The challenge in residential areas is balancing the needs of the roads users and the residents. Many roads users are also neighborhood residents and therefore share both sets of needs. However, drivers using a roadway as an alternative route to other roadways do not share the same neighborhood needs as the residents on that street.

Neighborhood Integrity & Safety

The Neighborhood Traffic Control Program recognizes that neighborhood integrity and a feeling of safety at home are important to maintain a high quality of life, therefore, the policies developed for this program place a premium on the needs of the neighborhood. To that extent, it is recognized that some drivers will experience greater inconvenience. This inconvenience is considered necessary in order to improve the quality of life in residential neighborhoods.