Speed Humps

Introduction

Speed humps are pavement undulations installed along a roadway for the purpose of regulating traffic speed.  There is a significant difference between speed humps and speed bumps, which are devices commonly used in shopping center parking lots.   A speed bump is an abrupt pavement feature, three or four inches high and only one to three feet in length at the base (measured in the direction of vehicle travel).  A speed hump, on the other hand, is approximately three inches in height, but much gentler in configuration, with a length of at least 12 feet at the base.  Speed humps properly designed and placed in appropriate locations control speed without the "jarring" effect of speed bumps.

Policy

• Speed humps will only be installed upon approval of the City Council, after a public hearing and in conformance with the standard design in effect at the time of installation.
• Speeds humps are still considered experimental roadway features.  Therefore, additions, alterations, or removals or any or all speed humps may occur at any time.

Guidelines

The installation of speed humps will be considered only if all the following conditions are met:

• The street segment on which speed humps are proposed must be at least 1/4 mile long and must be a residential street defined as follows:
• A street having 13 or more buildings fronting on one side of the street or 16 or more buildings fronting on both sides of the street, within a distance of 1/4 mile.  Buildings must be located within 75 feet of the street curb face or edge of pavement and they must face and gain access from the street, to be considered as "fronting on the street".
• Buildings, as used above, include separate dwelling houses, churches, apartment buildings, or multiple dwelling houses.
• The speed limit on the street must be 25 miles per hour established in accordance with State law or City Council action.
• A speed survey must show that more than 67 percent of the motorists exceed the 25 mile per hour speed limit.
• The street must have a paved width of 40 feet or less.
• The street must have no more than two traffic lanes.
• The average traffic volume must be greater than 1,000 vehicles, total in both directions, in a 24-hour period on an average weekday.
• The street must generally have a longitudinal grade of 5% or less, although grades exceeding 5% may be acceptable for relatively short road segments.

• A request may be made in writing by any resident, any homeowner's association, or may be initiated by the City Council. The street segment for which speed humps are requested or proposed must be at least 1/4 mile long.
• After a request is received, the City will:
• Obtain necessary traffic data including traffic volumes, traffic speeds, and accident history.
• Determine compliance with all criteria.
• The City will publish notice of a public hearing and have a mail notice to all property owners within 300' of the street segment involved.
• The request will be presented to the City Council at a noticed public hearing.   After receiving testimony, the City Council will decide if the requested speed humps will be installed. If the installation is approved by the City Council and if funding is available, the City will design and install the speed humps. In addition to consideration of various other design criteria, pavement markings and warning signs will be utilized so that speed humps will be clearly identified.