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SPEED HUMP POLICY REQUEST PROCEDURES February, 2003 Page 1 CITY OF FARMINGTON SPEED HUMP POLICY February 2003 I. CRITERIA FOR INSTALLATION OF SPEED HUMPS: Before any block is considered for the installation of speed humps, the Traffic Engineering Administrator must make a determination that the block in question is a reasonable candidate for such treatment based on an analysis of the location which considers overall traffic volumes, speeds, flow characteristics, topography, special situations, or any other factors which in any way might be affected if speed humps were to be installed on the block. The following criteria provide a basis for evaluating the appropriateness of speed humps. Each request will be evaluated on these criteria with additional consideration being given to unusual circumstances. The criteria for installation of speed humps are: 1. The street must be classified on the Farmington Major Thoroughfare Plan (MTP) as a residential street. Streets that are designated on the MTP as Collector streets, Major Arterials, or Minor Arterials are not eligible for the installation of speed humps since these types of streets are designed to carry traffic into and through the neighborhood and provide emergency access to neighborhoods. Therefore, traffic on these types of streets should not be impeded. 2. More than 75 percent of the vehicles observed operating on the street where the speed hump may be installed must exceed a speed of 25 m.p.h. This shows a clear majority of traffic in excess of residential speeds and identifies unusual speeding problems. 3. The average daily traffic volumes on the street where the speed hump may be installed must be greater than 500, but less than 1,500. These numbers are in keeping with the traffic volumes commonly associated with a residential street classification. ---PAGE BREAK--- SPEED HUMP POLICY REQUEST PROCEDURES February, 2003 Page 2 4. The street may not exceed 40 ft. in width. This width is characteristic of residential streets with two driving lanes and two parking lanes. 5. The street may not have more than two traffic lanes. More than two traffic lanes are uncommon on residential streets and are generally associated with Collector and Arterial streets. 6. The street grade within each block that is under consideration may not exceed 4 percent. Excessive street grades can create several safety considerations that may be compounded by the installation of a speed hump. 7. Streets to be considered for speed humps must have a full pavement section of asphalt or concrete. Streets with less than a full pavement section or streets that have a dirt, gravel, or oil surface treatment are not eligible for the installation of speed humps since streets with this type of surface deteriorate rapidly, causing both safety and long-term maintenance problems. 8. Installation of a hump will not be permitted where substantial diversions of traffic to other local streets may occur, i.e., move the displaced traffic onto other residential blocks. Traffic diversion to other residential streets only shifts the problem. 9. Installation of a hump shall not be considered on streets commonly used by emergency vehicles as an access corridor. Hump installations cannot cause more than an aggregate 30 second delay in Fire Department response time, and in no case, will humps be considered if they cause Fire Department response time to exceed six minutes. 10. The horizontal alignment of the street under consideration must have adequate sight distance. Humps placed on curves may not be readily visible and could create a safety hazard. 11. The street under consideration and the block within which the street is located shall be free of any unusual features which might, in combination with a hump, cause an unusual performance effect. Engineering consideration must be given to each proposed location on a site specific basis. 12. A substantial majority (70 percent or more) of the residents on the block where the hump is to be considered must petition for the installation of the hump(s). Initiation of the request by ---PAGE BREAK--- SPEED HUMP POLICY REQUEST PROCEDURES February, 2003 Page 3 the residents serves to verify that a clear majority of the residents support the installation of speed humps. 13. A speed hump shall not be installed unless there is 100 percent concurrence by the owners of the properties within 200 feet on either side of the proposed hump location. ---PAGE BREAK--- SPEED HUMP POLICY REQUEST PROCEDURES February, 2003 Page 4 II. SPEED HUMP REQUEST PROCEDURES: 1. The initiation of requests for speed hump installations shall be in accordance with the following procedures: A. All requests shall originate from the residents of the block. B. All requests shall be in the form of a formal petition (blank forms for which will be supplied by City Traffic Engineering Division). C. All petitions shall be circulated by the residents themselves. D. A separate petition shall be used for each block. E. Petitions shall be circulated at least among those residents residing in buildings facing and/or directly accessing the block. F. Completed petitions shall be delivered to the City Traffic Engineering Division. G. Each petition shall contain the signatures of residents representing at least 70 percent of the properties that face directly on or access the block. For the purposes of this policy, a resident is defined as the head-of household for the dwelling unit on the property. If there are multiple dwelling units on a property, a signature will be required from the resident of each dwelling unit for the entire property to be included in the calculation of the 70%. Fractional support will be considered for properties that have multiple dwelling units on them. 2. The Traffic Engineering Division will undertake an engineering study to determine speeds and traffic volumes after the 70% petition has been received. Additional engineering data will be compiled by the Traffic Engineering Division as needed. The counts and speed studies will be added to the Traffic Engineering work program and will be performed as the work schedule permits. 3. Evaluations of speed hump requests will be done on a first-come, first-served basis. 4. Speed humps will only be installed in conformance with design guidelines that have been established by the City Traffic Engineering Administrator and the City of Farmington ---PAGE BREAK--- SPEED HUMP POLICY REQUEST PROCEDURES February, 2003 Page 5 Construction Standards and Technical Specifications, as prepared by the City Engineer and approved by the City Council. 5. The Traffic Engineering Administrator shall determine the location for placement of any and all speed humps based on the Criteria for Installation of Speed Humps. 6. After the installation of speed humps on each new block, the City will notify the appropriate emergency response agencies. 7. Speed humps are still experimental roadway features; therefore, additions to, alterations of, or removals of any or all speed humps may occur at any time, if the Traffic Engineering Administrator deems such additions, alterations or removals are necessary to protect the health and safety of the traveling public. 8. Any request for speed hump removal initiated by a resident or property owner shall be in form of a written petition containing the signatures of residents representing at least 70% of the properties that face directly on or access the block. All such requests shall be reviewed by the City Traffic Engineering Administrator using those speed hump installation criteria that are applicable to removal. The petition for speed hump removal shall be forwarded to the City Council along with a recommendation from the City Traffic Engineering Administrator regarding whether removal is appropriate based on the criteria. The request for speed hump removal shall be reviewed by the City Council and approved or denied. NOTE: This Speed Hump Policy was adopted by the Farmington City Council at its regular Work Session meeting on February 4, 2003.