Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Sixth episode of Moving Beyond the Automobile: Traffic Calming

In March, we shared with you the first 5 episodes of a series by Streetfilms, called Moving Beyond the Automobile. This month we are sharing the latest three episodes. These topics are very timely for issues facing Lee County, so I hope you'll watch these short videos.



# 6: Traffic Calming
by Robin Urban Smith on April 5, 2011 from the series Moving Beyond the Automobile

What’s the most effective way to make city streets safer? As Chicago Alderman Mary Ann Smith told Streetfilms, “Signs don’t do the job, even having police officers on the corner does not do the job.” To prevent traffic injuries and deaths, you need to change how the street functions and make it feel slower for drivers. You need traffic calming.

Traffic calming takes many forms and can describe any measure taken to reduce traffic speeds, improve safety, and make using the street a better overall experience. The most effective traffic calming measures are those that influence drivers to “behave in a civilized manner,” as Smith put it.

Changes like curb extensions, neck-downs, and bike lanes are all traffic calmers that save lives by sending the signal for drivers to slow down. In this Streetfilm we highlight some exemplary traffic calming projects from cities across the country.

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