Work with your neighbors to calm down traffic

Broadway Ave in Beechview. Elimination of “slip lanes” next to the T stops make for safer pedestrian access to transit (& fewer lanes to cross), space away from the tracks for people on bikes, and clarity for drivers.

The City of Pittsburgh is looking for a fast street near you

Is there a speedy “cut through” residential street in your neighborhood? 

Or a place where people simply don’t drive the speed limit?

Work with your neighbors to slow down cars and increase safety.

The City’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) has launched an innovative program to bring traffic calming and safer streets to neighborhoods around the City. The City of Pittsburgh Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program allows residents to work together to make the case for slowing down excessive speeds, and increase safety, comfort and overall quality of life in their neighborhoods. 

Residents can put together an application and submit it to DOMI for further consideration, but it’s important that the street selected meets certain criteria.

BikePGH is happy to help figure out if your street meets the criteria – we also have a speed gun.

Bakery Square used a number of traffic calming techniques as part of the original buildout of the street.

What is Traffic Calming?

Traffic calming uses physical design and other measures to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists. No two streets are the same, so to install traffic calming measures, the City looks to a suite of tools, such as curb extensions, narrowed roads and speed humps, to encourage safer, more responsible driving and potentially reduce traffic flow. These techniques are particularly effective in reducing the incentive for drivers to use a street as a cut through.

How to apply

To be considered for the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program, a street must: 

  • Be owned by the City of Pittsburgh 
  • Have a maximum of two travel lanes 
  • Have a speed limit of 25 miles per hour 
  • Have minimum vehicle volumes of 1000 vehicles per day 

The City has a limited budget to spend on traffic calming projects each year. Therefore, traffic calming projects will be prioritized: 

  • On streets with speeding issues documented by DOMI. See below for how to request data collection on your street 
  • In areas where new development or changing traffic patterns need proactively addressed 
  • On key pedestrian and bicycle corridors 
  • In areas around schools or senior centers 
  • Where a neighborhood plan makes recommendations for traffic calming 
  • Request Traffic Calming 

To request that your street be considered for traffic calming, first collect signatures from property owners on your street stating they are in support of a potential project. You can download and print the application for traffic calming and petition.

To see the full instructions and how to submit the application, see the City’s website.

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