Traffic Calming is the use of physical design features to reduce automobile speeds to improve the quality of life in residential and commercial areas and increase the safety and comfort of walking and bicycling. The Neighborhood Traffic Calming Request process is designed to thoughtfully engage residents in conversations about their traffic safety concerns and to collaborate with them on potential solutions.
Application Review Timeline
Applications will be reviewed and a determination on whether traffic calming is recommended will be made within 60 business days. Applicants will be contacted within three weeks of application submission to discuss their safety concerns.
Roadway Eligibility
Requests are preliminarily reviewed to confirm whether a roadway is eligible for traffic calming measures.
- Must be a local residential street (i.e. not an arterial)
- Roadway must be owned by the City of Fort Worth
- Posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less
- Maximum two-lane roadway
- Annual daily traffic is less than 4,000 vehicles per day
- Roadway is not on the City’s Master Thoroughfare Plan
Traffic calming is not recommended to address street racing concerns. All related requests will be referred to the Police Department for enforcement. In addition, traffic calming is not intended to address changes in traffic conditions that are created by temporary construction projects. All related requests will be shared with the relevant construction project manager for resolution.
Data Collection and Review
Crash data is reviewed to determine whether there have been speed related crashes.
Speed and volume data collection will be required if the City does not have data from the most recent two years. Speed and volume data collection is scheduled during days of the week and times of the year when typical free-flow traffic conditions are observed. The following parameters are used:
- 24-hour counts
- Data collected on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays only
- Data collection limited to eight months of the year (Sept to mid-December and January to mid-May)
- Data collected during academic school year
- Data is not collected on holidays, during school winter and spring breaks and summer recess
Recommendation
Traffic calming is recommended when the 85th percentile speed is five or more miles per hour over the posted or statutory speed limit. A traffic calming recommendation will be provided within the 60-business day review period.
Example:
Traffic calming would be recommended on a roadway where the posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour but the 85th percentile speed is 35 mph or more.
Traffic calming would not be recommended on a roadway where the posted speed limit is 30 miles per hour and the 85th percentile speed is less than 35 miles per hour.
Note: There may be other considerations such as speeding during school zone hours, orientation of on-street parking, and excessive/egregious speeding during certain times that would also be considered.
Petition
Following confirmation of roadway eligibility and data review, if traffic calming measures are recommended, the applicant is required to submit a completed petition. A petition is required to confirm that:
1) All property owners /residents on the recommended street block are aware of the proposed traffic calming installation.
2) Two-thirds of property owners/residents support installation of traffic calming measures.
3) Residents accept that placement of traffic calming designs may be recommended in front of their property, which may impact on-street parking. One hundred percent (100%) approval is needed from properties directly adjacent to the installation location.
Installation
Traffic calming will be scheduled for implementation within three to four months, as funding is available.
What happens if traffic calming is not recommended?
Locations are eligible for review again following a period of 24 months, or if there has been a significant permanent land development that has created a change in travel patterns.
If you have interest in submitting a traffic calming request or have questions regarding the program please email TrafficCalming@fortworthtexas.gov or call (817) 392-7738.
Neighborhood Traffic Calming Application(PDF, 281KB)