The art of traffic calming

The Choker. The Full Closure. The Neckdown. What do these descriptions have in common? No, they’re not extreme wrestling moves. They’re actually three of the many “traffic-calming” techniques used throughout Minnesota.

According to the Local Road Research Board, city officials are receiving increasing requests by residents to “calm” traffic in their communities. Meanwhile, elected officials and citizens can’t help but question the effectiveness of the techniques already in place. Speed limit signs often seem to serve as mere suggestions, and even the large speedometers (speed trailers) set up on streets such as North Dale and Snelling Avenue only seem to slow drivers down for the few seconds it takes to pass by. City engineers are working to come up with traffic slowing solutions that are affordable, have minimal drawbacks, and work in the long term.

Some St. Paul communities have already implemented efforts to try to get drivers to let up on the accelerator. Along Selby Avenue, painted “boulevards” are interspersed with a figurative painted “Selby” down the center of the street. “The design has helped to slow traffic down and discourage people from driving down the middle of the road,” says Sara Reller from the Selby Area Community Development Corporation. Meanwhile, on North Snelling Avenue near University, colorful mosaic planters are spread out on each block, enticing commuters to reduce speeds and enjoy the view.

The City of St. Paul is experimenting with another new approach to the problem. As part of the “Art of Traffic Calming” project implemented by the Public Works Traffic and Lighting Division, temporary public art signs have been placed in the boulevards along Hamline Avenue from Charles to Blair and along Thomas Avenue from Pascal to Griggs. These are small but busy streets. The signs are a short-term experiment, and will be evaluated in about two months.

Drivers will notice that the signs are an unusual addition. Based on models created by David Engwicht, known as one of the nation’s most innovative thinkers in transport and urban design, the colorful signs are designed to “use celebration and humor as powerful agents of change.” Traditional traffic calming relies on disincentives to speeding such as speed bumps or law enforcement. The newer approach, called “second generation traffic calming, ” relies much more heavily on incentives, with the goal of building a “submerged voice” into streets. Engwicht believes that the signs create uncertainty and intrigue, and as a result, traffic goes slower. When drivers notice the unusual signs—a profile of a dog and the word “cat”, a group of smiling children or a 10 of clubs card, they are likely to become a bit more conscious about their driving; by slowing down, and being more attentive. With slower traffic, residents feel safer reclaiming their streets. The expectation is that with a changed view of their own streets, residents will change their behavior when driving on other people’s streets.

Stephen Woodward, the former Public Works Artist-In-Residence for Saint Paul, conceived the “Art of Traffic Calming” project over two years ago. Woodward created a series of 37 images to be replicated on signs made of the same materials used for standard traffic regulation signs. The images are intended to help “calm” traffic and reduce speeds, but are not to be used as substitutes for standard regulatory signs. Following the trial period, public works engineers will evaluate the usage of the signs to determine their effectiveness.

Betsy Mowry works as an arts administrator with COMPAS and the Arts & Culture Partnership of St. Paul.