Traffic Calming Report -- Recent Meeting at Chavis Community Center

Post date: Feb 14, 2012 10:22:47 PM

I attended the second public meeting of the City of Raleigh’s Traffic Calming program on Wednesday February 2, 2012 at Chavis Community Center in Southeast Raleigh. There were approximately six residents of Glascock Street in attendance. This location was chosen because there were four City streets eligible for traffic calming that were presented that night and this location was central to those streets. I was there for the traffic calming measures proposed for Glascock Street between Wake Forest Road and Brookside Drive. I am a resident of this section of Glascock Street as well as traffic chairman for Mordecai CAC.

The process for traffic calming was initiated when a resident of Glascock Street with small children called the city and complained about speeding along this section of Glascock Street. The City conducted a traffic study on this section of Glascock Street to determine if it was eligible for the program and what traffic calming measures would be appropriate. It was determined that because of the width of the street that speed humps would be the best measures to reduce speed.

Once the street qualified for traffic calming, Tom Firorello with the Public Works department and director of the program came to our CAC meeting to explain how the relatively new traffic calming program worked. He explained that a petition process was required where 75% of the resident’s along the street would need to sign in order for the process to move forward. Two sections of Brookside Drive - - North and South were also eligible. Both Glascock Street and Brookside South were able to get the required percentage of signatures but not Brookside North due to some opposition and difficulty connecting with residents.

This meeting at Chavis was the second meeting of the traffic calming program. I attended the first meeting last fall at Lions Park when residents who attended were asked to help select the locations of speed humps along the three block section of road. Resident’s asked numerous questions about this type of traffic calming while locating the speed humps in the most effective pattern along the street. At this last meeting, we reviewed the proposed design and some minor changes were made. There was a representative there from the fire department and they are against the traffic calming measures on Glascock Street as the humps will slow response times by 6-12 seconds per hump. I’ve also spoken to residents on Sasser and Watauga Streets who are concerned about cut through traffic once the humps are in place. I will pass their concerns along to Fiorello this week and examine potential side effects in more detail.

The next step will be a well- publicized public meeting before City Council where neighbors and residents will be able to show their support for and against these traffic calming measures. If approved, they will be put out to bid and the measures could be in place as early as late summer.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Philip Bernard - - jpbernard@earthlink.net or 919-247-8794