[Added 7-14-2004 by Ord. No. 2004-17]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
A geometric design feature of a roadway, consisting of a
raised area in the roadway pavement surface, extending transversely
across the travel way, whose primary purpose is to reduce the speed
of vehicles traveling along the roadway.
A.
Traffic safety. The occurrence of accidents, and more
frequently the fear or expectation that accidents or near accidents
might occur, is often a leading problem. In some cases, these streets
serve as primary pedestrian routes for school children, which tend
to amplify these concerns.
B.
Traffic speed. Excessive speed is a frequent resident
complaint. Vehicles driven at high speeds, even if only occasionally,
are seen as a threat by thoughtless drivers to the peace, quiet, safety,
and quality of life within the neighborhood.
C.
Traffic volumes. As with speed, excessive amounts
of traffic are also of major concerns of residents.
D.
Noise and air pollution. Environmental issues play
a great role on the basic quality of neighborhood life, particularly
if a major percentage of the traffic stream is made up of larger and/or
older vehicles, if street curvature or gradient is severe or if the
pavement has a rough surface.
E.
Impacts on property. The presence of excessive traffic
can discourage residents and lead to increased resident turnover and
neighborhood instability. There is also some evidence that streets
with greater auto accessibility may be more susceptible to residential
crime.
A.
Request for installation of speed humps will be considered
as follows:
(1)
A written request from a resident, business, school,
association or other entity whose property is abutting the requested
street to the Mayor;
(2)
A request from the Township's traffic engineers or
officer, after a traffic study reveals the need to reduce speed and
traffic volume in residential neighborhoods; and/or
(3)
The governing body identifies a residential street
used as a cut off from major roadways.
B.
If a street is determined to be eligible for speed
humps and funding is available, a meeting will be arranged between
the appropriate individuals, i.e., governing body, administration,
police, Public Works, Engineer, emergency personnel and residents,
to discuss the installation process. At least seven days before the
meeting, the Township will provide notification of the meeting by
advertisement once in a local newspaper, on the Comcast bulletin board
and the Township website, and hand-delivered or mailed by certified
mail to residents within 200 feet of the street where speed humps
will be installed. At this meeting, the design, approximate number
of speed humps proposed, location and estimated timeframe will be
discussed. Every effort will be made to educate residents to better
understand the need for traffic-calming devices.
