Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Hello and thank you for joining today. This presentation provides an overview of the city's effort to revise and improve the neighborhood traffic calming program. The goal of this project is to strengthen how the traffic calming measures are designed and implemented on neighborhood streets while ensuring accessibility, safety, and equitable mobility for all users. Today the presenters will be Kalista Upsell who is the project manager and Cynthia Reinger who is the transportation engineer topics. In this presentation, we will cover the project overview, why this project is being done, the timeline of the project, the program background, the accessibility response, the key findings, the coordination with the sidewalk gap program, and how to get involved. Project overview. The project focuses on revising the existing neighborhood traffic calming program to improve how traffic calming tools are applied throughout the city. Particular attention is being given to local streets that do not currently have sidewalks as these conditions create unique accessibility and mobility challenges. The revised program will prioritize safe, accessible, and equitable travel for all roadway users, including pedestrians, cyclist, transit users, and drivers. This work also supports broader goals within the speed management program. Why is this project being done? The revision effort is being undertaken to better integrate neighborhood traffic calming into the city's larger speed management program. The goal is to streamline the process for evaluating and implementing traffic calming

measures while improving consistency across retrofit projects. The project was also initiated in response to accessibility concerns raised during recent neighborhood meetings regarding trafficcoming design elements. Additionally, city council resolution R-23-330 directed staff to comprehensively review and update the program timeline. The project timeline is organized into three major phases. During spring 2026, the city focused on information collection. In summer 2026, the project will move into public engagement, including community office hours hosted virtually on May 26th and June 3rd. These sessions are intended to gather community feedback and better understand neighborhood concerns and priorities. The revised neighborhood traffic calming program is anticipated to be completed in fall of 2026. Program background. The neighborhood traffic calm unit program is built on a partnership between residents in the city. Through this program, community members work collaboratively with city staff to identify concerns related to speeding and traffic conditions on neighborhood streets. The primary focus of the program is reducing driver speeds and improving safety for everyone using the roadway, including pedestrians, bicyclist, transit users, and drivers. The program also provides a process for exploring traffic homing solutions that are appropriate for the unique needs and conditions of each neighborhood. Accessibility response to support this effort. The transportation team has worked closely with the city's accessibility coordinator to better

understand accessibility needs and challenges. The city has also consulted with peer cities and national practice leaders to review current best practices and emerging approaches related to neighborhood traffic calming. Existing design standards and implementation methods have also been evaluated to identify opportunities for improvement. Key findings part one. Several important findings have emerged during the review process. Current American with Disabilities Act in the public rightaway accessibility guidelines does not specifically address situations where pedestrians travel within the roadway on streets without sidewalks. Additionally, there are no established national standards for accommodating pedestrians on streets without sidewalks when traffic calming measures are installed. The city has also identified successful quick build projects that could become valuable tools within the revised program. Key findings part two. Another key finding involves the need to better address potential conflicts between traffic calming devices such as speed humps, bumpouts, and roundabouts and the accessible pedestrian travel routes. Operational factors like utility access and winter maintenance must also be considered as part of future designs. The review also found that speed humps are the most common requested traffic calming devices within neighborhoods. Speed humps and speed tables are generally easier to install as retrofit improvements because of their effectiveness and ease of implementation. These tools are expected to remain an important part of the program moving forward. It's important to note retrofit raised intersections and crosswalks are not meeting the desired design height. Coordination with the sidewalk gap program. This effort is also being coordinated with the city's sidewalk gap program. A new data-driven scoring matrix has already been completed to

help prioritize sidewalk improvements and better support accessibility and mobility planning citywide. This coordination will help ensure that traffic calming and pedestrian infrastructure improvements work together more effectively. How to get involved? There will be community office hours hosted virtually on Tuesday, May 26th and Wednesday, June 3rd. These sessions are intended to gather community feedback and stories. Please check out the city's engage page on this project to continue to share feedback and stay informed on updates. Thank you for your time and attention today. We appreciate the community's participation and feedback as we work to improve the neighborhood traffic calming program.