Nevada St. between White St. and Raymer Blvd. has been selected to be part of a pilot program to test the effectiveness of bump outs as a traffic calming device in the neighborhood as a part of our Vision Zero plan.
Vision Zero is a philosophy that emphasizes road safety for all users and aims to completely eliminate roadway fatalities. The goal is to create a road that is a safer place for kids to play, neighbors to walk their dogs, and bike riders to travel. As drivers acclimate to the change, we hope to see a reduction in speed along this section of Nevada.
About Bump Outs
A bump out is a traffic-calming device that extends the curb and sidewalk into the roadway, narrowing the road at the intersection. This will make pedestrians more visible to vehicles by providing a protected area with a shorter crossing distance and also protect parked cars on the roadway.
Bump Out Info SheetProject Background
This section of Nevada is on the Raymer Elementary Safe Routes to School walking and biking map as a priority corridor, which makes traveling at safe speeds especially important. These improvements will shorten the crosswalk for students and provide additional visibility for both drivers looking for pedestrians and pedestrians looking for oncoming traffic if there are parked cars on the street.
About the Pilot
The white poles you see now are a temporary installation, meant to inexpensively help the city measure the effect of the project. If the project proves to be successful in that, the permanent installation will take place next year.
Speeding on Nevada
Drivers drive at the speed that feels most comfortable on any given road. Wide, straight, and open roads make drivers more comfortable with driving fast - regardless of the speed limit. By narrowing roads or introducing obstacles that cause drivers to maneuver around them, we can slow drivers down quite effectively, more effectively than simply changing the speed limit.
Recent traffic counts at the intersection of Nevada and White indicate that there was a total of 226 pedestrians crossing at this intersection during an 8-hour period and the average daily traffic on Nevada is approximately 1,681 vehicles per day.
Speed is Deadly
Speed is a deadly factor in car crashes. A pedestrian hit by a driver at 40mph per hour has only a 20% chance of survival, whereas a pedestrian hit at 20mph has a 90% chance of surviving the crash. Traffic calming measures, like chicanes, are designed to slow cars down to make crashes less dangerous.
Download Safety over Speed Fact SheetWhat Neighbors Should Know
Parking may be affected near the bump outs, but parking is still permitted along the street.
You might see equipment used to monitor traffic installed including rubber hoses across the road, traffic cameras, or city vehicles. We will be collecting data over the course of the pilot.
Travel at the speed you feel comfortable driving through the bump out and yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
Do not pass vehicles in the bump out or make a right turn on red from behind a vehicle making a thorough movement.
At the end of the study, you will receive a postcard in the mail with a survey to get your feedback on the bump outs. This will help us decide if the changes should be permanent.
We will keep you informed over the course of the project, as well as share the results of the pilot once it concludes.