The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the
installation of traffic calming systems on Township-owned roadways.
Such systems shall be specifically designed to reduce the speed, but
not necessarily the volume of motor vehicle traffic in residential
areas, nor is their purpose to move traffic to adjoining roadways.
Traffic calming measures shall also consist of enforcement and education
activities by the Police Department.
For the purpose of this chapter, except as may otherwise be determined under §
270-68L herein, "speed hump" shall be synonymous with "traffic calming system" or "traffic calming measure." A speed hump shall be a raised hump in the pavement extending across the width of the roadway at a right angle to the direction of the flow of traffic.
It is the policy of the Township to install speed humps on streets in accordance with the procedures and criteria listed in §§
270-67 and
270-68 herein.
Applicants may request that a study be conducted to construct
speed humps in a particular neighborhood. Requests shall be submitted
in writing along with a petition described below to the Superintendent
of Police for consideration at the next available meeting of the Staff
Traffic Committee (the "Committee"). Such requests shall be submitted
a minimum of 30 days before the Committee meeting at which they will
be discussed.
A. Petition.
(1) All adult residents of the affected streets, pursuant to Subsection
A(2) below, must be contacted by the applicants and advised that speed humps are being considered for their street.
(2) A signed petition must be submitted reflecting the support of a minimum
of 80% of the residents of households on the street on which humps
are proposed to be installed and a minimum of 60% of the residents
of households located on streets or cul-de-sacs whose only access
is via the street on which humps are proposed to be installed.
(3) Only one adult signature per household, apartment, or business will
be considered on the petition.
The following criteria shall be used to limit speed humps to
areas where they will be most effective and practical:
A. Speed humps will not be installed on state highways.
B. The legally posted speed limit on the street shall not exceed 25
miles per hour (mph).
C. The average daily traffic (ADT) shall not be less than 1,000 vehicles
per day which shall be determined by a seven-day automated traffic
count conducted by the Department's Traffic Safety Unit. Manual counts
may be instituted at the Department's discretion.
D. The average vehicle speed (based upon the 85th percentile of the
speeds recorded during the traffic count) shall not be less than 10
mph over the legally posted speed limit, which shall be determined
by a seven-day automated traffic count.
E. The Department will analyze the number of accidents on the affected
roadway over the most recent three-year period to ascertain the extent
to which excessive or unsafe speeds were a major contributing factor.
F. The distance between speed humps shall not be less than 250 feet
or greater than 600 feet apart; provided, however, that should an
intersection controlled by a stop sign or yield sign be located on
the affected roadway, the distance between humps may exceed 600 feet.
The existing stop sign or yield sign may be reevaluated to see if
it continues to meet the warrants of the State of Pennsylvania after
the installation of humps.
G. Speed humps shall not be less than 150 feet from an intersecting
roadway or within 250 feet of a signalized intersection.
H. Speed humps shall not be installed on hills or curves that could
affect the safe control of vehicles.
I. Speed humps shall traverse the entire roadway allowing one foot on
each side for the flow of stormwater.
J. Speed humps shall be no less than 12 feet in width.
K. Signs indicating HUMP shall be erected in each direction at the location
of the hump and a sufficient distance before the hump to warn approaching
motorists. For increased visibility, reflective stripes shall be painted
on the humps.
L. Other traffic calming measures:
(1) Notwithstanding whether or not a petition has been submitted under §
270-67, nothing herein shall limit the Township's right to unilaterally consider and install any traffic calming measures whatsoever, including, but not limited to, speed humps, bulb outs, chicanes, raised crosswalks, etc., as it may deem necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of a specific neighborhood or the public in general.
(2) This section shall apply to any street within the Township, especially
streets where the Township determines there is a high concentration
of pedestrian and vehicular traffic such as those near schools, parks
and recreation areas, churches and business districts.
(3) The Township shall notify the residents and businesses on any streets
for which such traffic calming measures are being considered to permit
their input before such measures are approved and installed.
M. Speeding. When speeding is the primary concern, the 85th percentile
speed (or average speed) shall exceed 10 mph over the posted speed
limit before traffic calming is considered.
(1) Eighty-fifth percentile speed. The 85th percentile speed is the speed
at or below which 85% of the motorists on a street are traveling.
This speed is often used as a measure of the upper limit of reasonable
speeds for prevailing conditions.
(2) Average speed shall be used only when the number of vehicles necessary
for determining the 85th percentile speed cannot reasonably be obtained.