Q:  Cars are always speeding down my street. How can I get road humps installed to make them slow down?
A:   The City of Dallas has a program specifically designed to allow residents to petition for road humps (also known as road bumps) on a street, but it’s not a simple process, and depending on the average speed of cars on your street, it may cost you. If money is not a stop sign for you on the road to safer streets, here’s how it works:

1.   Several requirements must be met for your street to be deemed eligible for the program, so first you need to see if yours qualifies. The four main criteria are that your street must:
• Be at least 1,000 feet long and provide access to “adjoining low-density residential properties” (meaning single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes — not apartment complexes)
• Have only one traffic lane in each direction
• Not be listed as an emergency response route by Dallas Fire-Rescue
• Have a posted speed limit of 30 mph or less
To find out if your street qualifies, contact the City of Dallas Public Works and Transportation Department at 214.670.4020. They will instigate a review of the location by Dallas Fire-Rescue to confirm eligibility.

2.   If your street qualifies for the program, you must petition for signatures from two-thirds of the households on the proposed stretch of road in order to install road humps. Once complete, the petition can be sent to: Road Hump Coordinator, Department of Public Works and Transportation, City Hall, Room L1/BN, Dallas, TX 75201.
3.   Approximately three weeks after the petition is received, the city will perform a traffic study to determine the average speed of vehicles on the street. This will determine how much of the total cost the residents must pay.
4.   Based on the findings, residents will have to decide whether they are willing to pay for their share of the road humps, each of which measure 12 feet long and 3 inches high, and cost $,1,100. If the city finds that traffic violators are traveling at an average speed of 35 mph, residents are responsible for 100 percent of the cost. An average speed of 36 mph, however, reduces residents’ share to 80 percent; 37 mph reduces it to 60 percent; 38 to 40 percent; and if violators are driving at average speeds of 39+ mph, the city will foot the entire bill.
For more information, contact the Public Works and Transportation Department at 214.670.4020.
 —ELIZABETH ELLIOTT

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