When Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods (CHUN) contacted WalkDenver about how to address the issue of speeding in their neighborhood, we had the idea to use tactical urbanism to demonstrate traffic calming techniques that have been proven to increase safety.
On September 29, 2018, CHUN and WalkDenver hosted a pop-up demonstration on 13th Ave at the intersections with Marion and Lafayette Streets. Using cones, painted tires, beach balls, and some spray chalk, we set up temporary curb extensions, also known as “bulbouts” at the corners of each intersection to increase visibility of pedestrians and give them more space on the street while also signaling to drivers that this is a neighborhood street where they should expect to see people walking, biking, and enjoying local destinations.
Results from collecting speed data of vehicles traveling on 13th Avenue during the demonstration showed that not only did overall speeds go down, but we found the percentage of drivers going over the 30 mph speed limit was dramatically reduced and held steady even as traffic volume increased through the afternoon. And, feedback from pedestrians passing by was overwhelmingly positive.
13th Avenue Pop-Up Traffic Calming Demonstration from Denver Streets Partnership on Vimeo.
Read the full report on the project for more details.
Thank you to the CHUN members and volunteers who helped with the planning, preparation, and data collection that made this project such a success!