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OTHER REASONS TO SUPPORT SECONDS COUNT! |
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Index: Dangers to Pedestrians and Cyclists Effects on Disabled, Frail, and Elderly Citizens
When the City of Boulder builds a speed bump or a small traffic circle, supposedly to slow traffic in a neighborhood, it usually measures traffic volumes before and after installation. Guidelines in place between 1995 and 2000 required reconsideration and potential removal of devices that diverted more than 10 percent of traffic to lower classification streets. Unfortunately, the city never followed its own rules. In every single case, traffic decreased on the street where an obstacle was built. Small wonder a few local residents report satisfaction with the devices. Typically, 25 to 30 percent of traffic diverted onto parallel streets to avoid the devices. Up to half of all traffic diverted in some cases. Since raised crosswalks and a raised intersection were built on 55th Street, about 3,000 vehicles per day now wind their way through neighborhoods instead of driving on a road rebuilt at public expense to handle the higher volume. Speed statistics show speeders don't slow down, they just drive on different streets. Yet the City doesn't recognize the interests of residents on parallel streets. They aren't included in the public process for approving delay-inducing traffic mitigation, even though they pay the price both literally and figuratively. The City's plan is to chase the problem, putting devices on street after street until there are no unimpeded streets left. The cumulative effect on emergency response and public mobility will be staggering. Dangers to Pedestrians and Cyclists Traffic circles used to slow cars, rather than facilitating flow by assigning right of way, are confusing. And more experience on the part of drivers as the city tries to build more circles will not correct the problem. The small diameter circles are intrinsically unsafe, because they don't allow drivers enough time to assess actions of other vehicles. The circles are used on streets of drastically different volumes, so only the drivers on cross streets feel they've entered a right-of-way situation. Drivers on the main, through street are given the impression of driving around an impediment in the roadway. These problems are made worse by lack of visibility of oncoming traffic from side streets in the tight situations where the devices are built. So, no one is sure quite what to expect from other vehicles. The result is unpredictable behavior. And controlling neighborhood speed with devices designed to produce confusion is only asking for trouble. Cyclists are especially vulnerable when automobile drivers are forced into unpredictable traffic situations. Many also complain of the dangers they face jockeying for space at traffic circles, as automobiles are forced into the bike lane approaching the island. Making things worse, bike lanes disappear altogether at the traffic circles themselves, just where confusion is greatest. And the presence of concrete barriers in the center of an intersection magnifies the consequences of any accident. Likewise, speed bumps can be painful to cross, and the sudden lurching motion can cause cyclists to lose control. Pedestrians, too, report that drivers are so confused at traffic circles by unusual right-of-way issues that they pay less attention to walkers trying to cross the street. Although some supporters of speed bumps and traffic circles claim it is easier to cross streets, the City of Boulder Transportation Division admits it cannot show any benefit to pedestrians or cyclists from the standpoint of safety or reduced conflicts with automobiles. The perceived benefits actually correspond to documented reductions in traffic volumes as cars are diverted onto parallel streets. Effects on Disabled, Frail, and Elderly Citizens Traffic devices that by design cause discomfort to healthy drivers have disproportionately negative effects on less healthy drivers and passengers. Some physically challenged people can only continue living independently in their homes in Boulder neighborhoods if unimpeded vehicular access is available. Many rely on door-to-door paratransit service that does not compromise their safety or comfort. Special Transit, the nonprofit agency that provides these services in Boulder, reports that physical traffic barriers are impeding access for their clients and compromising safety to drivers, passengers and other motorists, in addition to creating vehicle maintenance issues. Many elderly and disabled citizens suffer chronic back and hip pain which the speed humps aggravate. Not only do deflection devices cause pain and discomfort, the jostling can worsen some conditions and add further injury. Wheelchair users and frail or elderly persons often have little or no upper body strength to maintain balance when going over humps or around tight circles. Swaying or lateral motion can cause dizziness and nausea for these users of our streets. The pain and injury caused to some disabled citizens by deflection devices physically and psychologically limits their access to public rights-of-way. Disabled citizens in other cities are winning battles to prevent placement of street obstacles that effectively imprison them in their homes. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines roads as "facilities" which, whenever altered, must be made as accessible as possible to the disabled. The alteration of roads with traffic obstacles to be less accessible to the disabled is therefore in conflict with the ADA. We already rebuild sidewalks to add wheelchair ramps at curbs. We should recognize the needs of these same citizens by preserving their access to streets. Speed bumps and small traffic circles increase pollution and gas consumption through repeated braking and acceleration. This has been proven time and again. Funding for the Stevens Avenue Experiment with a series of speed bumps in Portland, Maine was terminated by federal officials because of the increase in accidents and measured pollution caused by the devices. Another study in England by the Transport Research Laboratory confirms substantial increases in pollution. Speed humps, designed to slow down traffic, boost pollution by 10 times in residential areas, a new study reveals. Research was carried out in Austria on a mile-long stretch of road with six humps and a 40 kph speed limit. Scientists found that cars negotiating the bumps belched out 10 times more nitrogen oxide, 3 times more poisonous carbon monoxide, and 25% more carbon dioxide, linked to global warming, than vehicles maintaining a constant speed. Fuel consumption rose from 7.9 liters to nearly 10 liters per 100 km. The report concluded, "A regular traffic flow would therefore always be more environmentally friendly." Special Transit, which also operates Boulder's popular HOP buses, has documented increased needs for front-end alignments and brake pad replacement since 1995, when the city started installing small traffic circles and speed bumps in large numbers. Their vehicle shocks and springs also need more frequent replacement. More concerning, though, is the increase in damage to water drain valves, natural gas tanks, rear mounted air conditioning components, and mufflers (all located on the underside of vehicles). Humps also damage fire equipment. Fire departments around the country report increased maintenance costs for springs, broken axles, and other problems on engines that must routinely cross speed bumps. The battles that inevitably accompany installation of traffic mitigation devices leave scars on our neighborhoods. Even pro-calming literature acknowledges the volatility of the debates. Many residents object to the increased noise, the damage to their vehicles, the visual pollution of signage and pavement markings needed to warn drivers of the devices, the discomfort of having to travel over the devices on a daily basis to reach their homes, as well as the risk to homes and family members from delayed emergency response. So public meetings turn into shouting matches when frustrated majorities cannot derail projects requested by a few. The rancor endures in the neighborhood long after an installation is complete. Yet when residents who agitated for a device move away from a street, eliminating any support, nothing is done. The inability of residents to preserve unimpeded access to their homes leads to dissatisfaction with municipal government and discourages citizens from participating in government. Neither is healthy. |