Traffic Calming
Overview of Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program
The City of Hilliard Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program aims to enhance safety and livability on local streets in Hilliard neighborhoods. Encouraging slower vehicle speeds through traffic calming creates a
safer and more pleasant environment for taking a walk, playing outside, or enjoying the outdoors. Slower speeds create safer streets for everyone, and crashes are less severe the slower a vehicle is driving.
Creating more enjoyable local streets starts with setting speed limits that are safe for everyone using the street, including those walking and biking. On streets where people are traveling over the posted speed limit (speeding), traffic calming can be used to encourage drivers to travel at the posted speed limit. This program is intended to provide traffic calming improvements to reduce speeding, reduce crashes, encourage walking and biking on local streets, and improve the quality of life in residential neighborhoods across Hilliard.
The program contains a step-by-step process for achieving traffic calming primarily through engineering, with the added support of education and enforcement initiatives. The guide below outlines the street selection criteria, traffic calming process, and countermeasure options for local streets.
The City of Hilliard has approximately ten years of vehicle speed and volume data for many neighborhood streets; this data ensures that resources are focused where the most significant speeding is occurring. New speed data is collected routinely and after major roadway geometry changes. Crash data is also considered in the neighborhood traffic calming process, although historically, there have been minimal crashes on local streets.
The City of Hilliard has included an annual traffic calming program in its capital improvement budget to provide funding for planning and implementation of neighborhood traffic calming projects citywide. Neighborhood streets are prioritized based on various factors such as speed, crashes, vicinity to schools, traffic volume, cut-through traffic, and other similar characteristics. Low cost solutions will be implemented first before consideration will be given to implementing higher cost street modifications.
For more information, please see the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program Guide and Toolkit.
2023 Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program
Based on the scoring system established in the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program Guide, the City has established the priority of streets for traffic calming measures. Streets are scored and prioritized based on speed, crash history, vicinity to schools, cut-through traffic, traffic volumes, pedestrian generators, and other concerns. In 2023, the City will be installing radar speed signs on four neighborhood streets:
- Davidson Road, between Leppert Road and Avery Road
- Norwich Street, between Main Street and Cemetery Road
- Hoffman Farms Drive, between Cosgray Road and Schoolway Drive
- Lacon Road, between Cemetery Road and Leap Road
The City will be evaluating the effectiveness of these signs at lowering vehicle speeds. If these signs are proven to be a successful tool, radar speed signs will be deployed at the next tier of neighborhood streets in 2024.
