The Institute of Transportation Engineers has defined traffic calming as follows: "Traffic calming involves changes in street alignment, installation of barriers, and other physical measures to reduce traffic speeds and/or cut-through volumes, in the interest of street safety, livability, and other public purposes."

Goals

• To improve the environment and livability of neighborhood streets by "calming" or regulating the impact of vehicular traffic.
• To promote safe and pleasant conditions for motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and residents of neighborhood streets.
• To encourage citizen involvement in the traffic calming process by incorporating the preferences and requirements of the people using the area along the street or at the intersection.
• To reduce vehicular speeds on residential streets.
• To improve real and perceived safety for non-motorized users of the streets.
• To discourage use of residential streets by non-residential cut through vehicular traffic.

Objectives

To accomplish these goals, Melbourne has developed a step-by-step process to follow that provides both objectivity and fairness to identify issues and solutions and implement those changes. Individuals or groups are encouraged to present traffic safety concerns to city staff. Once problems are identified, relatively simple measures, or, Type 1 Options are considered and implemented to mitigate traffic concerns. If Type 1 Options do not correct the targeted issues, then more drastic and extensive improvements, Type 2 Options, are considered. Type 2 Options are physical measures to control traffic speed and volumes by installing physical obstacles that either slow or divert traffic.

The residential traffic calming program provides residents an opportunity to present a concern for traffic safety with respect to observed volume and speeds on neighborhood streets, and a formal method to study and evaluate, design, and install measures to mitigate these concerns.

This program incorporates the three "E’s" of traffic control: Education, Enforcement, and Engineering. Residents can actively participate in the process. Increased education and enforcement through spot speed enforcement and increased law enforcement visibility effectively cause self-enforcement of speed regulations. Where increased education and law enforcement have not made measurable improvement in speed reductions, then engineering measures through physical means may be the last resort to effectively reduce neighborhood speeds.

Procedure for initiating a neighborhood traffic study:

Step 1

The City of Melbourne can initiate a neighborhood or collector road traffic study if deemed in the best interest of public safety by the City Engineer. In addition, a homeowner’s association (HOA) or neighborhood representative may also submit a traffic calming request using the Traffic Calming online request form. Status of the application may be obtained by contacting the City of Melbourne Engineering Department at (321) 608-7300.

Step 2

Traffic calming projects provide for and encourage citizen involvement. The engineering department maintains a dialogue with neighborhood residents and works with them to develop an acceptable traffic-calming plan. A project can be undertaken if it has the support of residents (minimum of 65%) or is deemed in the best interest of public safety by the City Engineer.

Step 3

City staff or their consultant collects and analyzes data about the traffic issues that have been identified and presents the findings to the neighborhood representative by email.

Step 4

If criteria for traffic calming measures are met, Type 1 option alternatives will be examined.

Type 1 Options:

• Traffic Control Signage, Regulation Signage
• Striping edgelines, stop bars
• Request increased police presence
• Radar trailer program

A follow-up study will be conducted within 45 days after Type 1 options are installed/performed. If Type 1 options are ineffective at controlling the undesired traffic conditions, then Type 2 options will be examined. Street segments that do not meet the qualification are not further considered for traffic calming unless there is a substantial change in the neighborhoods residential density, or additional roadway connections are built.

Step 5

To be eligible for physical traffic calming measures (Type 2), a street must meet the following qualifications:

• It must be classified as a Local residential street abutting land use is at least 85% residential. Some Collector streets will be considered for traffic calming on a case-by-case basis and if they meet the following minimum criteria:
  • Two (2) lane collectors with 35 mph posted speeds or less, with "high" measured or anticipated pedestrian volume.
  • Traffic calming on collectors will be evaluated and implemented if supported by a signed and sealed engineering study.

• It cannot be a designated fire response route or transit route.

• It cannot be more than two travel lanes wide.

• The street surface must be to current City standards, and maintained by the City.

• Streets must meet at least 1, 2, 3, and 4 of the following (items 5 or 6 may be substituted for 3):

1. 500 minimum vehicles per day 3000 maximum.
2. 1000' minimum street length
3. 85th percentile speed exceeding the posted speed limit
4. A minimum of 65% of residents must give approval or as deemed in the best interest of public safety by the City Engineer.
5. At least 3 accidents in 12 months where excessive speed was a factor
6. A minimum of 25% cut through traffic

Step 6

Prior to installing any Type 2 option alternative, a public meeting must be held to report on the study results, identify the issues, and discuss possible solutions, including alternative designs.

The Type 2 options for consideration will be:

• Speed Tables or Speed Cushions
• Crosswalk Refuge
• Choker
• Chicane
• Raised Sidewalk
• Center Island Narrowing
• Traffic Circle
• Textured Pavement

Residential Traffic Calming Application