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GCO / Speed Hump Policy Augusta-Richmond County Speed Hump Policy I. Background In response to numerous complaints concerning speeding in neighborhoods, the Augusta- Richmond County (Augusta) Engineering Department has studied other communities and how they have addressed residential speeding problems. One popular and cost effective measure is the installation of speed humps. When properly designed and installed along with strong community support, speed humps have been proven to be effective at reducing speeds in neighborhoods. After much experimentation and testing, the use of speed humps has been formally endorsed by transportation authorities worldwide. In the United States, a policy on the use of speed humps has been developed by a special committee of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. The following policy was adopted by the Augusta-Richmond County Commission pursuant to 2- 5-16 of the Augusta-Richmond County Code for the citizens of Augusta who want to pursue the installation of speed humps for their neighborhoods II. Policy Overview The objective of the Augusta Speed Hump Policy is to provide a process whereby property owners in subdivisions or neighborhood areas may request the installation of speed humps on residential street(s) with a maximum posted speed limit of twenty-five (25) miles per hour and a minimum length of one thousand (1000) feet. For a request to be considered, the requirements set forth in this Policy must be met. III. Property Owner Request Any property owner may request that Augusta consider the installation of speed humps on the street where their property is located. Such a request shall be submitted in writing to the Augusta-Richmond County Commissioner of the district where the subject street(s) is located. The Commissioner will forward the request to the Augusta Engineering Department. IV. Traffic Study Upon receipt of the request from the Commissioner, the Traffic Engineering Section shall perform an initial screening to determine if the subject the street is a public street with a posted speed limit of twenty-five (25) miles per hour and a minimum length of one thousand (1000) feet. ---PAGE BREAK--- Augusta Speed Hump Policy Page 2 of 4 If the above criteria are met, Traffic Engineering will perform a speed-volume study to determine whether the 85th percentile traffic speed on the street is 11 mph or more over the posted speed limit and whether the average daily traffic is between 400 and 4000 vehicles. V. Speed Hump Petition After the above speed-volume study has been completed, the Traffic Engineering will develop a proposed speed hump layout that will be presented at a public meeting. A notice setting forth the time, date, and place of the meeting will be posted at the meeting site and mailed to the property owner that made the initial request under Section II above at least seven calendar days prior to the meeting. Speed hump petition form(s) will be made available at the meeting. Minor changes in the proposed speed hump layout may be considered based upon property owners’ concerns at the public meeting and the engineering feasibility to make such modifications. Should the property owner(s) desire to continue the process after the meeting and seek the necessary Commission approval, it is the responsibility of the property owner(s) to distribute the petition forms and receive the requisite signatures. Such petitions must be in the form set forth by Augusta Engineering Department. If the speed volume study reveals that the 85th percentile traffic speed on the subject street(s) is 11 mph or more over the posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour and that the average daily traffic is between 400 and 4000 vehicles, the owners of at least 75% of the properties which are both adjacent to the street where the speed humps are being proposed and within 100 yards of any proposed speed hump must approve of their installation, as set forth in the speed hump layout presented at the public meeting referenced above, or as it may have been amended at such meeting, by properly signing the petition. Only petitions that meet these requirements and that are submitted to the Traffic Engineering Section within three months of the public meeting will be presented to the Commission for consideration. No changes will be allowed to petitions once they are submitted to Traffic Engineering. Petitions that do not meet the requirements of this policy or that are not received within three months of the meeting shall not be considered. Collection of petition signatures is solely the responsibility of the neighborhood and/or its representatives. If the speed-volume study reveals that the prevailing 85th percentile speed on the subject street(s) is not 11 mph or more over the posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour or if the average daily traffic is less than 400 vehicles or more than 4000 vehicles, the owners of at least 90% of the properties which are both adjacent to the street(s) where the speed humps are being proposed and within 100 yards of any proposed speed hump must approve of their installation, as set forth in the speed hump layout presented at the public meeting referenced above, or as it may have been amended at such meeting, by properly signing the petition. Only petitions that meet these ---PAGE BREAK--- Augusta Speed Hump Policy Page 3 of 4 requirements and that are submitted to Traffic Engineering within three months of the public meeting will be presented to the Commission for consideration. No changes will be allowed to petitions once they are submitted to Traffic Engineering. Petitions that do not meet the requirements of this policy or that are not received within three months of the meeting shall not be considered. Only signatures of the legal owner(s) of the properties that are adjacent to the street where the speed humps are being proposed shall be valid and considered in calculating the requisite percentages. In the case of multiple owners, each owner must sign. Rental tenants are not acceptable substitutes. Each lot, regardless of the number of owners, counts as one vote. However, owner(s) of more than one lot on the subject street(s) shall be given one vote for each lot owned. To determine whether the requisite percentage is met, the total number of lots whose owner(s) voted in favor of installation by signing the petition shall be divided by the total number of lots that are adjacent to the street(s) or within 100 yards of where speed humps are being proposed. All signatures on the petition are subject to verification by Traffic Engineering. VI. Augusta-Richmond County Commission Approval If the requisite percentage of property owners, as set forth above, approve of the proposed speed hump installation by properly signing the petition, the Traffic Engineering Section shall place it as an item on the agenda of the next possible Engineering Services Committee meeting and subsequent Commission meeting for its consideration. Speed humps will be installed only if the Commission approves of their installation. If approved by the Commission, the speed humps shall be installed pursuant to the speed hump layout, as proposed at the public meeting referenced in Section IV, or as it may have been amended at such meeting after considering any property owner concerns. VII. Funding and Installation of Speed Humps If approved by the Commission, the installation of speed humps shall be funded and installed by Augusta. Installation will occur as soon as possible after approval unless funding is unavailable in which case installation will be performed at earliest possible convenience once funding is made available. VIII. Subsequent Study or Petition Requests In the case of a Petition that fails to meet the requirements of this Policy, property owners must wait at least two years after the initial request before requesting that Traffic Engineering conduct another study of that same street(s). IX. Removal Process Property owners may request the removal of speed humps by submitting a petition requesting their removal to Traffic Engineering. However, petitions to remove speed humps will only be presented to the Commission for consideration if the speed humps have been installed for a minimum of one year. Furthermore, before the request can be brought before the Augusta- Richmond County Commissioner, the owners of at least 70% of the properties which are both ---PAGE BREAK--- Augusta Speed Hump Policy Page 4 of 4 adjacent to the street(s) where the speed humps are installed and within 100 yards of any installed speed hump must approve of their removal by signing the removal petition. The petition must set forth the petitioner’s desire to have the speed humps removed and must set forth the street(s) where the subject speed humps are located. Only signatures of the legal owner(s) of the properties that are adjacent to the streets where the speed humps are located shall be valid and considered in calculating the requisite percentages. In the case of multiple owners, each owner must sign. Rental tenants are not acceptable substitutes. Each lot, regardless of the number of owners, counts as one vote. However, owner(s) of more than one lot on the subject street(s) shall be given one vote for each lot owned. To determine whether the requisite percentage is met, the total number of lots whose owner(s) voted in favor of removal by signing the petition shall be divided by the total number of lots that are adjacent to the street(s) where speed humps are being proposed. All signatures on the petition are subject to verification by Traffic Engineering. If the petition meets the requirements of this Policy, Traffic Engineering shall place it as an item on the next possible agenda for the next possible Engineering Services Committee meeting and subsequent Commission meeting for its consideration. Nothing set forth in this policy shall prohibit Augusta-Richmond County from removing any speed humps from any street(s) upon its own initiative should it so decide. X. Establishment of a Special Assessment District In accordance with Section 7-3-10 of the Augusta-Richmond County Code (as amended), after approval from the Augusta Commission, a special assessment district which will consist of those properties which directly abut the street with the proposed speed humps, will be created. Annualized charges for maintenance and repair of speed humps will be added to the property tax bills at the end of the year in which the speed humps are installed. Each platted lot, whether developed or not, will be subject to the assessed charges. The rate for participation in the speed hump program will be $30.00 per year per property in the "defined service area." XI. Effective Date This policy was adopted by the Augusta-Richmond County Commission at their regular meeting this day of 2008.