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Introduction There is increasing interest across the country in developing strategies to reduce the speed and amount of traffic in residential neighborhoods. Many traffic engineers are shifting their focus from evaluating such items as whether or not stop signs are appropriate at individual intersections to more comprehensive efforts to determine effective approaches to neighborhood traffic control. The new programs involve much more interaction with residents than the old ways. Modern neighborhood traffic management, called traffic calming in many communities, is more about using traffic control to address quality of life issues than it is about comparing traffic volumes to national standards developed decades ago. This is not to suggest that the engineering aspects of traffic control should be ignored; on the contrary the measurement of speeds, traffic volumes, and accident rates are essential in helping determine which strategies work and can be applied at similar locations. The purpose of this document is to describe a process which will: 1. Determine the extent of existing traffic problems in a neighborhood 2. Describe the range of alternatives available to reduce those problems Background CITY OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT POLICY 3. Help residents determine which of those alternatives they would like to have in their neighborhood 4. Help City Council determine the order in which alternatives are funded and installed by developing a priority ranking system to be used when the estimated cost of projects exceeds the approved funding level. Ask anyone who lives in Evanston what they believe is the worst traffic problem on their street and you will find speeding at the top of most lists. Does this desire to control vehicle speeds address only a perceived problem or is there a measurable benefit to reducing speeds? To answer this important question, the risk of pedestrian fatality was examined for various speeds. Most people would predict that the risk of fatality increases with speed. It does, but the level of increased risk as speeds increase may be underestimated by many people. It is reported that the likelihood of a pedestrian being killed when struck by a vehicle traveling 15 mph is about 3.5 This increases to 37% at 31 mph and about 83% when the vehicle is traveling 44 mph. Obviously, there is a real benefit to reduced vehicle speeds when these sobering numbers are reviewed. In addition to reducing the risk of injury when an accident occurs, there are other benefits to reducing speeds. The chances of avoiding an accident increase for two primary reasons: (1) the driver's field of view widens as speeds go down, making it more likely that activity on or near the pavement will be seen, and (2) stopping distances are greatly reduced at slower speeds, making accident avoidance easier if someone or something is in the roadway. Attachment B