Department: County Engineer
Department Head/Elected Official: Milton Rahman, PhD, P.E., PMP, CFM, ENV SP, County Engineer
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Policy
Project ID (if applicable):
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MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval to adopt Harris County Engineering Department’s Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy.
end
Background and Discussion:
In August 2020, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a resolution to officially launch Vision Zero as an integrated part of future Harris County transportation plans and projects. Through the implementation of Vision Zero, Harris County aims to eliminate all traffic related fatalities in the region by the year 2030.
Vision Zero starts with the belief that everyone has the right to move safely in their communities, and that improving safety is a shared responsibility between road users, system designers, and policymakers. This means that road users are expected to follow traffic laws, while system designers and policymakers are expected to improve the roadway environment, adopt supporting policies, and provide initiatives to lessen the severity of crashes.
The Harris County Engineering Department Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy is one such supporting policy that proposes to lessen the severity of crashes by providing traffic calming measures designed to reduce vehicle speeds and/or volumes on residential streets in support of Vision Zero.
This policy was created in response to Commissioners Court’s adoption of the Guidelines for Neighborhood Traffic Calming on September 19, 2023, where a request was provided to develop design guidelines and processes for speed humps. Standard drawings and a petition process for speed humps and speed cushions were developed and including in the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy.
Expected Impact:
The Harris County Engineering Department has developed this policy to assist in the implementation of the Harris County Engineering Department Guidelines for Neighborhood Traffic Calming, as adopted by Commissioners Court on September 19, 2023. The adoption of this policy will provide constituents, precincts, and engineering a framework for Harris County to provide engineering solutions to traffic calming issues.
Alternative Options:
Harris County can continue to operate without a traffic calming framework, using the Guidelines for Neighborhood Traffic Calming on an ad-hoc basis.
Alignment with Goal(s):
_ Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_x Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
_ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
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Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
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September 19,2023 |
123 |
Adoption of the Guidelines for Neighborhood Traffic Calming |
Location:
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
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Anticipated Court Date: April 23rd, 2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date):
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Patrick Mandapaka, PhD, AICP, Director of Community Resilience & Transportation Planning, Harris County Engineering Department
Attachments (if applicable): Harris County Engineering Department Neighborhood Traffic Calming Policy.pdf