[Winona] Re: Traffic calming

[John N. Finn]

Traffic calming refers to incorporating features into a street that will make drivers naturally tend to go slower. The crudest form of this would be the speed bumps used in some parking lots. A more psychological approach would be landscaping and visual elements along boulevards to change a drivers perception of speed. An example: 30mph seems faster in a residential area with lots of trees and such than on the wide open levee road from Riverview Drive to Prairie Island (the scene of my most recent speeding ticket). Another design element would be making streets narrower at intersections (snow plow operators don't care much for that)   A google search will turn up much information on this topic, along with arguments in opposition to efforts at controlling people's need for speed. There is even a "drivers rights" organization that feels that traffic controls should be abolished since people should be trusted to decide for themselves what's safe.   My street, somewhat narrower than others, will probably be rebuilt someday. One neighbor feels that it should be wider because people drive by too fast. Another thinks it should be wider because she can't drive on it as fast as she would like. I hope that these opinions can be changed before the tree removal crew shows up.   John N. Finn              ----- Original Message ----- From: Kathy Seifert To: Rich PFlughoeft ; 'Winona Online Democracy' Sent: 24 janvier, 2003 09:28 Subject: Re: [Winona] Tourists driving in Winona - to protect or neglect? Interesting discussion. There seem to be several points and a variety of solutions proposed.   --Law enforcement should ticket offenses more often. --The city should post more signage regarding local standards or controll intersections. --The city should incorporate "calming traffic features." (BTW can you explain this further, John?)   It seems to me we all want the same thing: safe streets, yes?  I wonder if there is any body of knowledge out there (i.e., studies regarding the effectiveness of different ways of approaching this issue in a town our size) that might shed some light on the issue and objectify it.  We can have lots of ideas that are based on what we think of as "common sense" that don't always hold true in the real world of human behavior!   Anyone out there have facts from a DOT or city planning knowledge base?   Kathy Seifert