Traffic Calming and Fire / EMS Department Emergency Responses

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Traffic Calming and Fire / EMS Department
Emergency Responses

• Lee Havens, Fire Chief
• Jonathan Bigony, President
• Pete Mellits, P.E. / Fire Chief (2001-2005)
• Bowie Volunteer Fire Department
• And Rescue Squad, Inc.
• December 11, 2008

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What is traffic calming?

• Traffic calming involves changes in street
  alignment, installation of barriers, and other
  physical measures to reduce traffic speeds and/or
  cut-through volumes, in the interest of street
  safety, livability, and other public purposes.
• The Institute of Transportation Engineers

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What is it designed to do?

• Reduce the volume of through traffic.
• Reduce speeding.
• Improve aesthetics to roadway to alter driver
  behavior via calming measures.
• Increase safety to non-motorized users.
• Increase safety to pedestrians.

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History of Traffic Calming

• Introduced in Europe in the 1960s.
• Introduced in the United States in the 1970s.
• Berkeley, California
• Seattle, Washington
• Eugene, Oregon.
• Introduced in Prince Georges County in the late
  1990s / early 2000.

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Methods of Calming Devices and Their Effects on
Fire / EMS Apparatus

• Speed Bumps, narrow ½-3 asphalt strips / 3-6
  ht.
• Speed Humps, wide 10 to 15 asphalt strips /
  3-6 ht.
• Traffic Circles at Intersections.
• Traffic Lane Narrowing / Channeling via Concrete
  Curb Gutter.
• Traffic Lane Narrowing via Paint Striping.
• Traffic Signage.
• Traffic Speed Monitors / Speed Cameras.

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Speed Bumps

• Speed bumps are rounded raised areas placed
  across the roadway, typically1/2 to 3 feet wide
  in the direction of travel. They are typically
  found in parking lots and are 3 to 6 inches high.
  The profile of a speed bump can be circular,
  parabolic, or sinusoidal. They are often tapered
  as they reach the curb on each end to allow
  unimpeded drainage.

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Speed Humps
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Speed Humps

• Speed humps are rounded raised areas placed
  across the roadway. They are generally 10 to 15
  feet long (in the direction of travel), making
  them distinct from the shorter "speed bumps"
  found in many parking lots, and are 3 to 6 inches
  high. The profile of a speed hump can be
  circular, parabolic, or sinusoidal. They are
  often tapered as they reach the curb on each end
  to allow unimpeded drainage.

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Traffic Circles

• Traffic circles are raised islands, typically
  placed in intersections, around which traffic
  circulates. They are good for calming
  intersections, especially within neighborhoods,
  where large vehicle traffic is not a major
  concern but speeds, volumes, and safety are
  problems.

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Traffic Circles
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Traffic Lane Narrowing/Channeling via Concrete
Curb Gutter

• Chokers are curb extensions at midblock
  locations that narrow a street by widening the
  sidewalk or planting strip. If marked as
  crosswalks, they are also known as safe crosses.
  Two-lane chokers leave the street cross section
  with two lanes that are narrower than the normal
  cross section. They are good for areas with
  substantial speed problems and no on-street
  parking shortage.
• A center island narrowing is a raised island
  located along the centerline of a street that
  narrow the travel lanes at that location. Center
  island are often landscaped to provide a visual
  amenity.

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Traffic Lane Narrowing/Channeling via Concrete
Curb Gutter
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Traffic Lane Narrowing/Channeling via Concrete
Curb Gutter
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Traffic Lane Narrowing via Paint Striping

• These techniques provide a flexible way to take
  back space from the street for non-motor-vehicle
  uses. Traditional traffic engineering calls for
  12- to 13-foot lanes, citing "traffic safety"
  standards - but newer evidence shows that lanes
  as narrow as nine feet can still be safe for
  driving.
• Lanes can also be removed from serving traffic
  and designated for busses, trolleys, or other
  types of transit.
• Traffic lanes can be transformed into bicycle
  lanes.
• All street lanes can be narrowed together to
  create more room for non-auto uses.

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Traffic Signage and Speed Monitors / Speed
Cameras
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The Fire / EMS Department Problem

• Traffic calming devices designed to reduce the
  speed of everyday traffic also reduces the speed
  of emergency vehicles. Depending on the calming
  device, damage can occur due to their longer
  wheel-base, stiff suspension and higher vehicle
  weight forces these vehicles to come close to a
  stop to safely negotiate the calming device.
  This, increasing fire / EMS response times.

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The Fire / EMS Department Problem

• Increased fire / EMS response time.
• Damage to fire / EMS apparatus.
• Discomfort and possible further injuries to
  patients being transported.
• Possible firefighter and EMS injuries.

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Response Time Studies

• Austin, Texas
• Boulder, Colorado
• City of Portland, Oregon
• Houston, Texas
• Montgomery County, Maryland
• Orange County, California
• Ottawa-Carleton, Canada

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Firefighter / EMS Injuries

• Ottawa, Canada
• Orange County, California
• Sacramento, California

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Fire / EMS Apparatus Damage

• Boulder, Colorado
• Montgomery County, Maryland
• Prince Georges County, Maryland
• Washington, D.C.

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Recommended Solutions

• NO speed bump or speed hump traffic calming
  devices on major response routes.
• NO speed bump or speed hump traffic calming
  devices on hills of 8 grade or more.
• Ensure traffic circles are adequately sized for
  large fire apparatus via design turning
  templates.
• Ensure traffic lane narrowing / channeling via
  concrete curb gutter is adequately sized for
  large fire apparatus via design turning
  templates.

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Cushions

• Cushions cover only part of the width of the
  street to allow passage for emergency vehicles,
  buses or other large vehicles, and bicycles they
  are usually placed at varying intervals to
  respond to the need to channel the wheels of
  larger vehicles, while still providing hurdles
  wide enough to slow standard-sized vehicles.

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Cushions
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References for Additional Information

• Traffic Calming Websites
• http//www.trafficcalming.org/index.html
• http//www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/casesforp
  laces/livememtraffic
• Americans Against Traffic Calming Website
• http//www.io.com/bumper/ada.htm