Salt Lake City Streets To Get Traffic Calming

After a 19-year hiatus, the city is restarting its traffic calming program to combat the growing pedestrian death crisis.

1 minute read

August 17, 2022, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Salt Lake City

Bring Back Words / Flickr

Almost two decades after Salt Lake City’s last traffic calming projects, a rise in pedestrian deaths has prompted the city to revive its traffic calming program. Jordan Miller details the city’s plan in an article for the Salt Lake Tribune. 

A 2019 study assessed the city’s most dangerous roads and potential solutions for improving traffic safety. “The study’s final report identified 403.5 miles of roadway within Salt Lake City for possible improvements and divided those streets into 113 prioritized zones — based on crash data, speed data, demographics and community assets like schools.”

Program components include three versions of speed bumps, raised crosswalks to improve pedestrian visibility, pedestrian refuge islands, and roundabouts. Many of these treatments function best when combined: pedestrian refuge islands and raised crosswalks, for example, provide the most added safety when combined with other speed deflection measures.

See the source article for projected costs and more details on each type of project, the extent of which will depend on future funding.

Monday, August 15, 2022 in The Salt Lake Tribune

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Bend, Oregon

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing

The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

7 hours ago - Strong Towns

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14 - Smart Cities Dive

Green Skid Row mural satirizing city limit sign in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents

The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.

July 14 - Los Angeles Public Press