Pittsburgh Excels at Low-Cost, Quick-Build Traffic Calming

Pittsburgh’s “Community-driven. Block-by-block. Low cost” traffic calming effort could serve as a useful model for other cities, writes Asia Mieleszko in the Strong Towns journal.

The city focused on quick-build interventions to slow traffic and improve safety on streets nominated by residents as needing more safety measures. “These include raised crosswalks, pedestrian islands, changes to lane widths, chicanes, and most popularly, speed cushions.”

The program has had significant impacts: “On a 1,000-foot segment of Seagirt Street between Nimick Place to Bennett Street the average speed has dropped 13 miles, from 36 to 23 miles per hour, after the installation of speed humps.” The average drop in speed on streets with new traffic calming is 6 miles per hour.

The city’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) uses discretionary funding for the projects. “Too often, communities feel stuck—waiting for funding, plans, or approvals while dangerous conditions persist. But Pittsburgh proves don’t need a massive budget or a multi-year capital plan to begin making change.”