Communities Coalition
| Norwich Safe Communities Coalition |
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Our History Board of Directors and Participating Organizations Traffic and Pedestrian Safety in the News |
Traffic Calming Traffic Calming is meant to identify actions taken by responsible officials to reduce vehicle speed and/or redirect traffic in neighborhood settings. The Norwich Safe Communities has been studying traffic calming projects in other communities. Traffic speed surveys by the Norwich Police Department and the Connecticut DOT have shown that most vehicles travel on Washington Street at speeds of approximately 38 mph while the speed limit is 25 mph. To date, traffic calming projects that have been implemented at the recommendation of the Norwich Safe Communities Coalition, with the cooperation of the Norwich Free Academy and The Norwich Police Department include the warning signs in the middle of pedestrian crosswalks on Washington Street and Crescent Street. These give the visual effect of narrowing the driving lanes as well as reminding drivers that pedestrians have the right-of-way in crosswalks. Experience in other communities throughout the U.S. and Europe has demonstrated the effectiveness of techniques such as gradual elevations of road surfaces, extending sidewalk crossing points into road shoulders (to shorten pedestrian crossing distance and the give the appearance of narrowing the road width), and median barriers, islands, or "pedestrian refuges" in wider roadways. The Norwich Safe Communities Coalition believes that there is a role for additional traffic calming techniques in our community. For more information on traffic calming programs in communities with long experience see some of these websites:
Portland, Oregon
Traffic engineering organizations:
Federal Highway Administration:
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