City Council Study Session
Speed Hump Policy
July 19, 2022
Presentation Outline
1. Review of Adopted Speed Hump Policy
2. Implications of Reducing Speed Hump Criteria
3. Speed Hump Installation Costs
4. Neighborhood Traffic Management Toolkit
5. Hemingway Case Review
6. Police Department Analysis
7. Fire and Safety Department Analysis
8. City Attorney's Office Analysis
Speed Hump Installation Policy
Speed Hump Installation Policy
• July 20, 2021, Council unanimously adopted a Speed Hump Installation Policy
• Prior to its adoption staff relied on speed hump guidelines developed over 10 years ago.
• The new policy updated criteria for identifying qualified streets, reduced some qualifying standards to allow more streets to potentially be considered, and updated the public notification process and other design standards. • CA MUTCD - Per CVC 440, speed humps or bumps are not considered an "official traffic control device."
• Caltrans does NOT maintain a standard design for speed humps/bumps • Speed hump design & placement subject to independent engineering judgement & analysis compliant with adopted policy criteria
Average Daily Traffic
Street Length
Speed Hump Policy, cont.
Eligible Street Criteria:
• Minimum Length Uninterrupted by Stop Signs or Traffic Signals - 800 feet (Previously was 1,500 feet) *
• Maximum Average Daily Traffic Volume - 3,000 vehicles • Maximum Speed Limit - 25 miles per hour
• Minimum Speed Profile - 85th percentile speed must exceed 35 miles per hour (previously was 30 mph)
Screening Criteria
Placentia
Yorba Linda
Orange
Anaheim
La Habra
85th percentile speed
>=800 ft >=800 ft
>=500 ft
>=600 ft
=2,500
1,000 — 4,000 =35 mph
>=33 mph
>=34 mph >=35 mph
*
Uninterrupted length is a segment that traffic flows without yielding or stopping caused by external interruptions such as stop signs or traffic signals.
Implications of Reducing
Existing Speed Hump
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible Residential Streets
■ 535 residential streets in Placentia
■ 150 streets are over 800 feet long
■ 28% of all residential streets potentially qualify for speed humps today if they meet minimum speed criterion of 35
mph
■ If minimum street lengths & speed are reduced to allow the next available category (500-800ft), an additional 140
residential streets would become initially eligible for speed humps
1 Residential Streets in Placentia Total Percent
1 Street length Tess than 500 ft 244 45%
1 Street length (500 ft to 800 ft) 140 26%
1 Street length (800 ft to 2,000 ft) 150 28%
1Total number of residential streets 535
Speed Hump Installation Costs
Speed Hump Installation Costs
■ 24-hour Speed Survey Data Collection: $100/day
■ Staff time including site visit, data review, engineering design, commission/council meeting, and communication with residents:
20-30 hours = $1,500 - $2,500
■ Asphalt speed hump (material & installation):
$4,000 to $6,000 per hump
■ Pre -fabricated rubber speed hump (material & installation):
$3,000 to $4,000 per hump
As • halt S • eed Hum
Rubber S • eed Hum
Speed Survey (7 -day) $700
$700
Staff Time
(single speed hump request)
Construction Material & Labor
(single speed hump)
$2,500
$6,000
Grand Total $9,200 per hump
$2,500
$4,200
$7,200 per hump
9 Neighborhood Traffic
Management Toolkit
Neighborhood Traffic Management Toolkit
❑ Creates a universal How -To manual for residents & staff to work together and collaborate on addressing neighborhood traffic safety and speeding concerns ❑ Utilizes an incremental approach to traffic calming & focuses on non-physical measures as an initial response to traffic safety concerns even if a street qualifies for speed humps ❑ If non-physical improvements have not reduced traffic speeds, physical improvements will be implemented on qualifying streets
NON-PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS OPTIONS
• Centerline/Edge Line Striping
• Signage
• Speed Legend
• Speed Radar Trailer
• Police Enforcement
TEMPORARY PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS (FOR PILOT PROJECTS)
PERMANENT PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS OPTIONS
• Speed Hump
• Raised Crosswalk
• Traffic Circle/Roundabout
• Curb Extension
❑ All proposed improvements require independent engineering judgment and analyses
Hemingway Avenue Speed Survey
Hemingway Avenue
Aug -2020
(Pre -Phase 1
Improvements)
May -2021 Dec -2021
(Pre -Phase 1 (Post -Phase 1
Improvements) Improvements)
Number of survey days 1 day 7 days 7 days
85th percentile speed 32 mph 32 mph 31 mph
Average Daily volumes 294 vehicles per day 250 vehicles per day 290 vehicles per day
Hemingway Avenue Speed Survey
50 45
40 35
`m 30
O
25 E 20
z
15 10
5 0
nary (Westbound Hemingway 10 am - 7 pm t
L L.F
12/12/2021 12/13/2021 12/14/2021 12/15/2021 12/16/2021 12/17/2021 12/18/2021 Time period 10 am to 7 pm
5-14 MPH
15-19 MPH
• 20-24 MPF
■ 25-29 MPH
• 30-34 MPH
■ 35-39 MPH
■ 40-44 MPH
■ 45-64 MPH
50 45
40 35
V 30
o
25 a
n 20
z15
10 5
0 7 -day Speed Summary (Westbound Hemingway 24-hour total) L L L 1
12/12/2021 12/13/2021 12/14/2021 12/15/2021 12/16/2021 12/17/2021 12/18/2021 Time period 24 hours
5-14 MPH
15-19 MPH
■ 20-24 MPH
■ 25-29 MPH
• 30-34 MPH
■ 35-39 MPH
■ 40-44 MPH
■ 45-64 MPH
• Pneumatic tubes are best for short-
term counting and classification.
• Data processing automatically
excludes all vehicle speeds below
5 mph.
Hemingway Avenue Street Length
Key traffic interruptions
Street Length with uninterrupted traffic flow - 750 feet
Hemingway Speed Hump Qualification in
Neighboring Cities
Hemingway Avenue would not
qualify for speed humps if
located in these jurisdictions
ANAHEIM
85th percentile at or great than 9 mph above speed limit ADT biro/ 5,000 and 10,000 vehicle/day
Al least 5 preventable collisions in the past5years
At least one of the above satisfied?
MET CRITERIA?
Vo
Vo
Vo
NO
IA HABR:A I MET CRITERIA?
Street length of uninterrupted traffic flow greater than 600 feel 'Yes ADT greater than 1,500 vehicle}rday No
All of the above satisfied? NO
CITY OF ORANGE 1 MET CRITERIA?
85th percentile at or great than 35 mph No
ADT greater than 700vehicle{day No
Accident rate above expected accident rate in the past 12 -month period No All of the above satisfied? NO
YORRA LINDA
Street Length greater than 800 feet
ADT b f.v 1,000 and 2,000 vehiclefday
All of the above satisfied?
MET CRITERIA?
Yes
No
NO
SANTA ANA
85th percentile at or great than 35 mph
ADT greater than 500 vehicle/day
Any speed related accidents
At least one of the above satisfied?
I MET CRITERIA?
No
No
No
NO
COUNTY OF ORANGE
1 MET CRITERIA?
85th percentile great than 30 mph Yes
ADTbfw806and 3,000 vehicle/day No
All of the abovesatisfied? NO
Police Department Analysis
Traffic Collision Data
Hemingway Avenue
■ No reported traffic collisions in last 3 years
■ Police Department has conducted 26 neighborhood
patrol checks since 11-18-2021
➢ No violations observed, or speeding citations issued during dedicated enforcement times
■ Speed humps can potentially cause traffic collisions
■ Deviating from the results of city traffic survey &
MUTCD standards or adopted city policy can create
liability for the city
■ Police Department does not support reducing speed
hump criteria to allow humps to proliferate
Fire and Life Safety Department Analysis
Fire and Life Safety Department
■ Key Concerns:
■ Per California Fire Code Section 503.4.1, "traffic
calming devices, including ... speed humps, shall be
prohibited unless approved by the fire code official"
(Fire Chief)
■ Speed humps increase response times for heavy
apparatus during emergency calls due to
slowing/maneuvering around/over speed humps
■ Fire Department does not support reducing speed
hump criteria to allow humps to proliferate
Portland Study: Speed Humps and
Emergency Response Delays
• Results included:
• Delay per hump up to 9.4 seconds for 14 -foot designs • 9.2 second delay for 22 -foot speed tables
Vehicle
Rescue 41
Squad 1
Engine 18
Truck 1
Truck 4
Truck 41
Weight Horse -
(lb) power Wheelbase
na 185 11' 6"
23,170 275 14' 6"
34,860 185 15' 5"
53,000 450 21' 0"
53,960 450 13' 0"
42,100 350 37' 6"
Min Delay Max Delay
0-40 mph Lowest
Accel. Speed, 25 -mph 40 -mph
Time (mph) Response Response
12 sec. 34 0 sec. 1.5 sec.
17 sec. 24 0.4 sec. 3.4 sec.
19 sec. 21 0.8 sec. 5.0 sec.
20 sec. 1 22 1 0.6 sec. 1 4.9 sec.
22 sec. 16 1.8 sec. 7.7 sec.
27 sec. 14 3.0 sec. 9.2 sec.
`Offset Speed Tables for Reduced Emergency Response Delay, March 2004, Scott Batson, PE
City Attorney's Office Analysis
Design Immunity Defense
(Gov't Code § 830.36)
A city can claim design immunity in defense to a dangerous condition of public property claim if it establishes:
1. A causal relationship between the plan or design and the accident;
2. Discretionary approval of the plan or design before
implementation;
3. Substantial evidence of the "reasonableness" of the plan or design.
Ways of Establishing "Reasonableness"
of a Design/Planning Decision
• Speed studies;
• Opinion of a civil engineer;
• Professional standards of design and safety;
• Accident history at the site;
• Speeding violations/citations at the site.
Potential Litigation Risks
• In the event of litigation, City should be able to assert a design immunity defense if it follows the properly
adopted Speed Hump Policy.
• City may lose design immunity defense in situations
where it fails to follow its own policy, increasing
potential liability.
• Modifications to the Policy should be based on data
and research, or it may impact the applicability of the immunity.
Sample Jury Verdicts & Settlements in
Speed Hump/Speed Bump Cases
• Eastburn et al v. City of San Diego et al, San Diego County Superior Ct (2014): Speed bump in a bike lane caused 3 separate bike collisions during a bike race, resulting in injuries to multiple cyclists. $1.3 million settlement.
• Riley v. Grandon, Riverside County Superior Ct (2013): $1.04 million settlement awarded to motorcycle passenger who suffered catastrophic head injuries and later died after driver struck a speed hump installed by city and she was ejected. The passenger sued the helmet retailer and importer for product liability, the driver for negligence, and the City for dangerous condition. [$1 million paid by helmet retailer, $25k by driver, and $10k by helmet importer. The City reached a separate settlement for an undisclosed amount.]
Recommended Actions
• Receive and file presentation
• Staff, including Police and Fire Departments do
not recommend any changes to the City's
adopted Speed Hump Policy
• The City Attorney's Office does not recommend
any changes to the City's adopted Speed Hump
Policy, unless supported by data and research.
Questions?