Tuesday, August 25, 2015
What is "Traffic Calming" and Why Do We Need It?
Many of us that live in cities see busy streets with zooming traffic as just something that comes with the city living experience. Unless you are in the urban planning or transportation business the terminology "traffic calming" is probably not in your vocabulary but the effects of it are certainly something that you've thought about as you rushed across the street trying to catch a break in between waves of traffic, frequently had to replace your side view mirrors as a result of side swiping by unknown passers by, and trying to get that perfect parking spot resulted in you being blown at by anxious drivers and creating a mini traffic jam. It has happened to all of us - not just you.
There are many different kinds of ways to calm traffic and make busy streets safer, some of those examples are:
- Add Roundabouts
- Convert One Way Streets into Two Way Streets
- Dead End Streets
- Install Four Way Stops
- Narrow Traffic Lanes
- Speed Bumps
- Pedestrian Refuges
These are just some of many things that we can do to help calm the traffic in our communities, Studies have proven that communities with calmer streets have increased public safety outcomes, higher property values, and creates less noise and vibration which is goof for the buildings on the streets.
Are you interested in calming the traffic in your community? If so please join us on Facebook and let's work together to figure out a way to improve the quality of life for all of us in Baltimore. City living doesn't have to be this hard!
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