KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Some new safety measures are in place on the streets in Knoxville, courtesy of Knoxville's Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program. In North Knoxville, they're often found on side streets off Washington Pike. Their goal is to keep drivers from speeding in residential neighborhoods.
The program is a collaborative effort between the City of Knoxville's Traffic Engineering Division, the Knoxville Fire Department, the Knoxville Police Department, the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, Public Service, Knoxville Area Transit and neighbors.
"Generally through this program, we install speed humps or speed cushions," said Hayley Howard, the assistant neighborhood coordinator of the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment. "But, there are other things that can be installed based on feedback that we get from other departments about specific needs on specific streets."
On Edgewood Avenue, drivers find what's called "chokers." The purpose of a choker is to turn a two-lane street into a one-lane at a choke point.
"If two vehicles meet at the choker, somebody's gonna have to stop to allow the other person to drive through," said Howard. "The hope is for people to slow down to let you know, to make sure that there are no wrecks or anything like that to let somebody through."
Neighbors are encouraged to reach out if they believe traffic-calming devices would benefit their neighborhood, but there is a waitlist. Anyone who wants to be put on the waiting list can email Howard at HHoward@KnoxvilleTN.gov.
They need to fill out an application, which is then sent to an internal committee for review. Next, an informational kick-off meeting will be held. Then, a petition must be prepared with at least 50% of the neighbors approving the installation. A speed study is done after and then a concept plan design and concept design meeting is held. There will then be a bidding process and construction, then a post-construction evaluation. Howard says about 45 groups are currently participating in the process.
"It's a very popular program, a lot of people want to see reduced speeding in their neighborhoods," said Howard.
She said the data shows people going up to 28 miles an hour in areas where devices are installed, which may still be over the speed limit but makes a difference. She says the slower a driver is going, the more likely a pedestrian will survive if they're hit.
"Horrible accidents and stuff are still gonna happen, but by installing these devices, we can at least improve people's chances of survival, which goes along with the city's Vision Zero efforts," said Howard.
Howard says there is a difference between a speed bump and a speed hump. She says a speed bump is usually found in grocery store parking lots and is an abrupt raise, and you have to come to a stop before driving over. She says a speed hump is usually found in residential areas and is more gradually raised so people just slow down to go over them.