Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot

The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.

1 minute read

May 18, 2025, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


25mph speed limit sign with digital "Your Speed" sign below it.

Tada Images / Adobe Stock

The Philadelphia Streets Department is installing vertical ‘speed slots’ as part of a traffic calming effort on Lincoln Drive.

According to an article by Aaron Moselle for WHYY, “Unlike speed cushions, speed slots are intended to slow down cars without disrupting the flow of traffic.”

The city hopes to slow traffic to the 25 mph posted speed limit along a 1.4-mile stretch where people often drive faster. “Between 2018 and 2022, there was an average of 13 crashes a year between West Allens Lane and Wayne Avenue, according to data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. The highest total was recorded in 2018, when there were 16 crashes along that stretch.”

The speed slots are part of a larger traffic calming project that includes rumble stripes and traffic lane separators in the same area. 

Friday, May 16, 2025 in WHYY

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