1. Emergency Response and Other Agency Concerns
Session 6
Emergency Response and Other Agency Concerns
SOP Chapter 7
Opposition from fire and emergency medical is the main obstacle to the growth of traffic calming in the U.S.
It is the focus of Seminar Session 6
This session:
summarizes fire-rescue and police concerns in select communities
provides a case study of conflict resolution between fire-rescue and traffic management
reviews results of emergency response studies to determine how much time is actually lost by fire-rescue services
outlines strategies to address the legitimate concerns of fire-rescue services
briefly refers to problems of other public agencies with traffic calming, including problems of snow clearance

2. Emergency Services' Positions
Fire-Rescue
Police
Austin
Bellevue
Boulder
escalated in opposition to traffic calming—agreed to two years of new hump installations
in process of negotiating new response routes with limitations on measures permitted on each route—oppose humps and circles on slopes where emergency vehicles have trouble accelerating
forced virtual moratorium on physical measures — experimenting with response-neutral measures
in favor of humps—receptive to other measures as yet untested
supportive generally— humps and other self-enforcing measures reduce manpower needs
SOP Chapter 7
This slide and the next two summarize fire-rescue and police positions on traffic calming in selected communities
Police are generally supportive, fire and emergency medical are generally not
In a few places, fire officials have hardly reacted at all
In others, fire officials have opposed traffic calming measures initially but, after some experience, are now neutral
In many places, fire officials remain openly opposed

3. Emergency Services' Positions (continued)
Fire-Rescue
Police
Gainesville
Howard
County
Phoenix
opposed to any measure that slows response—mollified if measures kept off collectors and arterials
neutral as long as kept off primary response routes—lack of opposition may be due to use of 22' tables on collectors
opposed to humps and diagonal diverters—cannot stop hump installations under neighborhood initiated process
favor access restrictions to fight crime—opposed to measures requiring police enforcement
in favor of humps and other self-enforcing measures to discourage speeding
against any measure that increases workload, particularly turn restrictions
See preceding slide

4. Emergency Services' Positions (continued)
Fire-Rescue
Police
Portland
Seattle
West Palm
Beach
previously opposed humps
and anything else that slowed response—neutral now that emergency response grid has been negotiated
initially concerned about diverters and closures—
neutral since these have been supplanted by other measures
neutral-to-supportive due to safety benefits of traffic calming
favor circles as “DUI catchers”
favor more measures to
discourage speeding and more closures to fight crime—latter now precluded by city policy
See slide before last

5. Portland -- Source of Conflict
Measures were installed at such a rate that no local street would be left untreated
and
Measures once limited to local streets were extended to higher-order streets that served as primary emergency response routes
SOP Chapter 7
In the early years of the traffic calming program, Portland’s Bureau of Traffic Management worked well with the Fire Bureau
However, by 1995, both prerequisites for outright opposition to traffic calming were met in Portland
In early 1996, the city council, at the Fire Bureau’s request, imposed a partial moratorium on new speed humps and traffic circles until a new classification system of emergency routes could be devised
Left is traffic circle used only on local streets
Center is a 14’ hump used only on local streets
Right is a 22’ speed table used on neighborhood collectors and local streets with transit service

6. Portland -- Conflict Resolution
SOP Chapter 7
Portland’s emergency response “grid” took two years to negotiate
Nearly all problem local streets are once again eligible for the full array of traffic calming measures
Some neighborhood collectors are eligible again, others are not
No funding has been provided for the next two years
Ineligible Eligible
Problem Local Street Segments Problem Collector Segments

7. Emergency Response Time Tests
SOP Chapter 7
There is much misinformation regarding the impact of traffic calming measures on emergency response times
This is the reason controlled response time tests have been run by several jurisdictions
Regardless of the traffic calming measure or fire-rescue vehicle, the delay per slow point is nearly always under 10 seconds, quite different from the 30-second delay per hump suggested by critics
Montgomery County’s test track for speed humps, plus results for humps and circles, are pictured here
For results of other tests, see Table 7.3 in SOP report

8. Emergency Response Time Goals
Original Response Time
3 minutes 6 seconds
Response Time with Islands
3 minutes 30 seconds
Expected Response Time with Humps
3 minutes 48 seconds
Response Time Goal
5 minutes for 60% of emergency calls
SOP Chapter 7
Emergency response test results can be used to assess traffic calming proposals
Estimated response times with traffic calming measures in place can be compared to a community’s stated response time goals
Boca Raton tested a traffic circle and median deflector islands on one street (upper right photo)
The city is replacing the islands with 12’ speed humps (lower right photo)
While the fire chief opposes the alternative, it appears to meet the emergency response goal of less than 5 minutes for 60 percent of emergency calls

9. Strategies that have been used to Address Fire-Rescue's Concerns
#1 Avoidance of Emergency Response Routes
#2 Avoidance of Emergency Response Facilities
#3 Gradual Escalation of Traffic Calming Measures
#4 Communication
#5 Use of Measures that Accommodate Fire-Rescue Vehicles
#6 Redesign of Traffic Calming Measures
#7 Traffic Calming Innovations
#8 Appeal for Citizen Support
SOP Chapter 7
Many strategies have been used to address fire-rescue’s concerns about traffic calming
Cooperative ones are preferred, as they represent a win-win for traffic management and fire-rescue
Four of the strategies (#1, #3, #5, and #7) are illustrated in the following slides
For the others, see the SOP report

10. Negotiation of Emergency Response Routes
SOP Chapter 7
Traffic managers everywhere try to keep traffic calming measures off emergency response routes
The challenge is:
Streets most in need of traffic calming are often emergency response routes
Any street may be conceived as an emergency response route by some station captain
Emergency response routes should be negotiated with ample public input
The ideal hierarchy of routes permits more traffic calming measures on secondary than primary response routes, and still more on tertiary response routes
Portland’s successful process was described in previous slides
Bellevue and Boulder are in the process of negotiating new emergency response routes
Map shows the high density of emergency response routes in Boulder’s urban core

11. Gradual Escalation of Traffic Calming Measures
SOP Chapter 7
Some traffic calming programs start with education and enforcement activities and resort to engineering (physical) measures only as a last resort
The problem with this approach is that conventional education and enforcement activities have a poor track record of effectiveness (see SOP Chapter 5)
Boulder is testing non-physical measures that may ultimately prove more effective than, say, neighborhood speed watch and radar speed trailers
Upper left is a former speed table on an emergency route, removed and not to be replaced
Center is an approach to Boulder’s first speed-sensitive traffic signal
Right is a flyer for Boulder’s new photo-radar test

12. Redesign of Traffic Calming Measures
SOP Chapter 7
According to the communities surveyed, fire-rescue’s preferences for traffic calming measures, from most to least acceptable are:
narrowings (mainly because they are not terribly effective in reducing speeds)
horizontal speed control measures (the more deflection, the less acceptable)
vertical speed control measures (the more deflection, the less acceptable)
full closures and diagonal diverters (wide half closures are okay)
Even the least acceptable measures can be designed to better accommodate fire-rescue vehicles
full closures and diagonal diverters can be traversable
vertical speed control measures can have long flat tops
horizontal speed control measures can be mountable
Upper left is a diagonal diverter with removable bollards -- Boulder
Center is a 22’ speed table favored by fire-rescue -- Gwinnett County
Lower right is a traffic circle with a low lip at the fire department’s request -- Orlando, FL

13. Traffic Calming Innovations
SOP Chapter 7
The ideal would be a traffic calming measure that slows or diverts other traffic without substantially impeding emergency response
Toward that end, Austin is testing speed cushions (upper left), Portland has tested split humps (middle), and Coral Gables has radio-controlled gates (lower right)
See SOP report for descriptions of speed cushions and split humps

14. Other Public Agencies Police Public Works Sanitation Transit Schools
SOP Chapter 7
Any concerns of police, public works, sanitation or bus operators with traffic calming measures pale by comparison with concerns of fire-rescue services
Trash collection, street sweeping, and/or street repaving may be somewhat complicated by the presence of traffic calming measures
Based on interviews with featured communities, these issues are seldom significant

15. “DUI” Catcher SOP Chapter 7
As shown in slides 2-4 earlier in this session, police generally support traffic calming measures for crime prevention and/or traffic enforcement
Pictured is a patrol car passing a Portland traffic circle
Portland police refer to circles as “DUI catchers” due to the tendency of drunk drivers to sober up and head home after hitting the center islands

16. Approaches to Snow Clearance on Traffic Calmed Streets
Familiarizing personnel with snowplow routes
Marking traffic calming measures to let plow operators know exactly where they are
Using appropriate equipment, such as rubber-tipped snowplow blades
Applying salt and sand to residual snow
Innovating in the geometric design of measures, such as the use in Canada of sinusoidal humps
SOP Chapter 7
SOP report summarizes the experiences with snow clearance of six communities, including three snowbelt cities
In these and other communities surveyed, humps, circles, chokers, and closures have not been found to:
prevent snow clearance
leave streets unsafe due to residual snow and ice
damage snowplows
suffer serious damage themselves
But traffic calming measures may add to workload and expense of snow clearance