CLEVELAND — Dozens of new traffic calming measures are coming to the Flats, Tremont and Ohio City neighborhoods in Cleveland.
Cleveland City Ward 7 Councilman Austin Davis said 61 speed tables have been approved in his ward. He said the majority of these speed tables have been funded through Cleveland's traffic calming program. Davis said these speed tables will be installed in high-traffic and high-speed areas.
Ten speed tables have already been installed in the Tremont neighborhood.
Davis said several of the tables have been installed on streets near Interstate 90 and Lincoln Park.
He said speed tables will also be added to Scranton Road, which he said has become a drag racing strip.
Speed tables are not the only traffic calming method that will come to area streets. Davis said several mini roundabouts will be added to Bridge Avenue.
Delineators, which are barriers that help protect bikes and pedestrians from vehicles, will also be installed in Ward 7 neighborhoods.
Twenty-five delineators are planned for this year. Davis said the majority will be installed along Fulton Road.
Curb extensions will also be added across Ward 7.
Davis recognizes that this is a lot of change for these neighborhoods. He said these measures will slow people down and make streets safer. Davis said these measures are a priority following two fatal accidents in the ward in recent years.
"No one intervention will make everything better all the time," he said. "If you turn the dial across the entire ward using every intervention possible, and you do that this year and next year and the years to come, we should really be enjoying a safer, more vibrant urban community."
Davis points to existing roundabouts along Franklin Avenue as proof the strategy works. He said they helped reduce the number of cars by 75%, which led to less noise pollution and quieter streets.
He said the plan is to complete the mini roundabouts by the end of this summer.
Speed tables will be added throughout the end of the year. Davis said the completion of the traffic calming measures will be dependent on staffing and resources.
For more on Ward 7's traffic calming measures, click here.
