Summary: The new cement streets in Willow Park are tempting drivers beyond that which they can bear -- and some bear down our 30 mph residential streets at 80 mph. Thanks to Willow Park Citizens, who keep bringing the problem to the City, the Willow Park Council has approved a new Speed Hump Policy and are starting installation of Speed Humps on Crown Road.
Latest Update: 14 June 2024
Tags: #Streets
Brake It or Break It. New Speed Humps for Willow Park.
The new cement streets in Willow Park are tempting drivers beyond that which they can bear -- and some bear down our 30 mph residential streets at 80 mph.
One Citizen reported, "We have school buses going 50 to 60 mph," and the her Neighbors agreed. [2]
Thanks to Citizens on Crown Road, Ranch House Road, Sam Bass Road, and tangential streets [1,2], the City has established a Speed Hump Policy and is starting installation of Speed Humps on Crown Road.
• Note, speed humps are kinder and gentler speed bumps [6].
• Jacob Martin Report
• All of Crown Road except hill, specifically the 30 block to the 100 block of Crown Road.
• 7 total Speed Humps.
• 500 feet apart.
• Result 83% of vehicles at 30 mph.
• Taper off into bike lanes.
• Warning stripes painted on road, ahead of Speed Hump.
• Impact on emergency vehicles.
• 3 seconds delay per speed hump unburdened vehicle.
• 10 seconds delay per hump on burdened vehicle.
• 90 days to install.
• 30 - 60 days, then another speed survey.
During the 28 May 2024 Council Meeting [4], the Council studied several alternatives of traffic calming processes to address the excessive speed on the new cement streets of Willow Park.
As part of the 2022 Street Improvement Project [Index], five (5) streets were designated arterial roads: Crown Road, Kings Gate Road, Squaw Creek Road, Sam Bass Road, Ranch House Road. These arterial roads have been rebuilt with cement, removing the pot holes, which for decades acted to "calm" speeding.
During the 11 June 2024 Council Meeting [5], Agenda item 2, the Council voted unanimously to address one of the repeating Citizen complaints about the newly cemented roads by installing Speed Humps on Crown Road. [5]
In addition, the Council established a Speed Hump Policy, Agenda Item 5, to approve a Speed Hump Installation Policy [in .pdf] [5, 7] so other neighbors can petition for traffic calming.
If you and your neighbors are concerned about the speed and safety of your streets, start gathering neighbors and completing paperwork.
Sources and Resources
[1] Willow Park citizens demand attention and correction in “nightmare” Streets Improvement Project. And they are getting results. Willow Park civics Blog, posted 16 May 2024
[2] Willow Park Citizens keep demanding the City "put it back the way it was." 2022 Street Improvement Project. Willow Park civics Blog, posted 10 June 2024
[3] 14 May 2024 Council Meeting, Public Comments
[4] 28 May 2024 Council Meeting, Agenda Item 2, Discussion/Action: to accept the presentations from Staff regarding the 2022 Street Projects. • Presentation: In .pdf
[5] 11 June 2024 Council Meeting, Agenda Item 5. Discussion/Action: to approve a Speed Hump Installation Policy [in .pdf].
[6] Speed Humps versus Speed Bumps
• Speed Bumps VS Speed Humps > 28 May 2024 Council Meeting Agenda Item 2
• Speed Bumps VS Speed Humps > 28 May 2024 Council Meeting Agenda Item 2
• Speed Bumps
• Raised areas of pavement primarily used in parking lots.
• They pose a safety hazard for vehicles traveling too fast and can be more damaging to vehicles.
• Emergency Response Impact - unknown as bumps are used primarily in parking lots
• Speed Humps
• Rounded raised areas of pavement typically 12 to 14 feet long, often placed in a series (spaced 260 to 500 feet apart) at mid-block locations
• Appropriate for residential streets and residential collectors that are one-lane/two-lane and have posted speed of 35 mph or less • Not typically used on major roads, bus routes, or primary emergency response routes.
• Series of speed humps may result in traffic diversion
• Comprehensive traffic calming approach needed to ensure problem isn’t moved to another roadway.
• Emergency Response Impact – Approximately 3 and 5 seconds delay per hump for fire trucks and up to 10 seconds for ambulances with patients.
• Speed Bumps vs Speed Humps, Reliance Foundry, Youtube
• all Blog images
• Speed Bump
Speed bumps encourage speed reduction to 2–10 mph.
Speed bumps are more aggressive traffic calming options than speed humps, and so are useful in places where pedestrians and cars share space closely, like parking lots and driveways. A speed bump generally slows traffic to 2–10 mph, giving both people and cars time to react safely to one another. Speed bumps are rarely used on public roads because they require vehicles to come to a near stop to pass over them, and can do damage to cars moving at regular speeds.
Speed bumps can be two to four inches high, but they have a much shorter travel distance than speed humps. These obstacles are under a vehicle’s tire for less than half of a full wheel rotation, with standard widths are between six inches and two feet. The height to travel-distance ratio creates an abrupt bounce in a vehicle, which can shake both occupants and cargo. Since a speed bump is always much smaller than vehicles passing over it, each axle will cross separately, meaning a car moving at excessive speed will receive two substantial jolts.
Speed bumps, like their more sedate siblings, can be placed at intervals to maintain speed reduction. They are often spaced judiciously as they are more uncomfortable to go over at any speed and are used in smaller geographical areas.
Speed bumps can deliver a shock, which is perhaps why they have developed colorful names around the world. They’re known as speed breakers (India), judder bars (NZ), sleeping policemen (UK), and road turtles (Southern US). In French, they’re known as “dos-d’âne,” or literally, “humpback.”
• Speed Hump
A speed hump creates a gentle rocking sensation in a car passing over it at the posted speed limit. If a car is driving at unsafe speed, the hump will jar the vehicle and its contents, causing discomfort to the occupants and disruption to cargo. These obstacles usually span the lane they are placed in. This way, vehicles are encouraged to pass over them with both wheels, reducing the likelihood of bottoming out.
Speed humps come in a variety of profiles and travel lengths. These factors influence the experience of discomfort created in the speeding vehicle. Travel length varies between 3–20 feet. Any travel length longer than the vehicle creates only one up-and-down motion, whereas a travel length shorter than the vehicle creates two rocking movements as each set of wheels passes over. Speed humps are most often placed in a series, maintaining speed reduction through a long corridor.
These vertical deflections are not a good choice for arterial roads, emergency routes, or on any street where it is easy for a car to evade the hump by driving on a shoulder. Because of this, they’re usually installed in one or two lane local urban settings where there are curbs and closed sewers. If speed humps are installed in areas where there is a shoulder, they are often twinned with bollards or other obstructive measures to prevent cars from leaving the roadway.
• Council approves adjustments in Crown Road area [11 June 2024 Council Meeting Review], 14 June 2024, The Community News
Speed humps on Crown Road
After numerous complaints about speeding in the area, a speed survey was conducted on Crown Road. City officials determined the installment of speed humps is essential for traffic calming, specifically the 30 block to the 100 block of Crown.
The engineering firm of Jacob Martin completed a rendering to detail how the speed humps should be constructed and placed on the roadway, as well as details of advanced warning markings. They are also currently working on where the speed humps should be placed along the roadway.
When asked about emergency vehicles on the road after the installation of speed bumps, Nic Kirk of Jacob Martin noted that the speed humps will create about a three-second delay on each hump for an unburdened vehicle and about a 10-second delay for one with a patient inside.
Along with this, the Willow Park Police and Public Works Department deemed it necessary to establish a street hump installation policy.
Chief Daniel Franklin researched neighboring communities, including Weatherford, Azle, and Fort Worth, who have already established policies and created a policy for Willow Park that the council approved Tuesday.
“It’s our recommendation speed humps be installed at the locations Jacob Martin recommended,” Franklin told the council.
The policy establishes who can request speed humps, provides a procedure for requesting and notification of the neighbors, specifying time periods and cost sharing between the city and the neighborhood.
The first step in the speed hump installation process is to determine whether a specific street is eligible. Streets meeting all of the following conditions shall be eligible for street hump installation:
• The street is constructed on a dedicated right-of-way. Street humps will not be installed on private roads or drives.
• The street must be either a concrete street constructed as a residential roadway, or an asphalt street constructed as a residential roadway.
• The property adjacent to the street is either wholly or primarily residential if developed or, if undeveloped, the adjacent property is either wholly or primarily zoned for residential uses. Public parks, public schools, churches, and drainage easements are considered residential uses for the purposes of this policy.
• The street has no more than one moving lane of traffic in each direction.
• The traffic volume on the street is less than 5,000 vehicles per day.
• The street has a speed limit of 30 miles per hour.
• The street is not a primary route for emergency vehicles. Both the fire department and the police department shall have veto authority on any street they consider critical for emergency response.