In an effort to be good stewards of public tax dollars, the City of Littleton makes data-driven decisions whenever possible. In the information gathering phase, city staff collects data and conducts field observations on requests that meet the thresholds from Step 1. Below is the process for Step 2.
Step 2: Process
- Determine type of data to collect
- Conduct field visit if necessary
- Collect and synthesize data
- Compare data to Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program standards below for escalation
Step 2: Types of Data and Information Gathering
Below is a list of data collection types and evaluation methods the city uses to examine potential neighborhood mobility safety issues.
- Speed / Volume Study
- Bike / Pedestrian Counts
- Crash History Review
- Signage Evaluation
- Sensitive Land Use Site Operations Evaluation
- Sight Distance Evaluation
- Signal Timing Evaluation
- Parking Utilization Study
- Comparison to National Standards
- Field Observation & Operational Evaluation
Most requests received are filtered out at Step 2 for not meeting one of the thresholds for what the city considers a concern that can be solved by engineering methods. Below are the thresholds to which the city compares the data to evaluate whether requests satisfy the requirements in Step 2. A request must meet the minimum traffic volume and one or more of the other thresholds to move forward to Step 3.
Step 2: Thresholds
Required traffic volume:
- Minimum Average Daily Traffic (ADT) of 500 vehicles (established by a seven-day count)
Additional thresholds (must meet one or more):
- Speeding Problem
- 15% of vehicles are traveling more than 10 MPH over the posted speed limit
- Crash History
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- Three reported crashes in the last calendar year
- Five reported crashes over the last three years
- Does Not Meet Established Standards
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- Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and other relevant federal standards applied where necessary
- Other relevant City of Littleton Standards (Littleton Engineering Design Standards, Downtown Design Standards, etc.) or recommendations from Littleton’s Transportation Master Plan
- HOA standards would be the responsibility of the HOA to address
If collected data shows a significant traffic safety issue, requests may move beyond Step 3 and straight to Step 4 at the discretion of city staff.
Exceptions to the required thresholds above may occur if one of the following criteria is met:
- Sensitive Uses
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- Exceptions could be made for areas near sensitive land uses including schools, transit stations, and living facilities with limited mobility residents or sensory limited residents at the discretion of city staff.
- Emergency Routes
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- Emergency routes (including snow removal routes, and emergency evacuation routes) may be exempt from traffic calming devices even if an above threshold is met. This will be at the discretion of city staff.
- Engineering Judgement
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- Situations where the roadway geometry or context of the roadway is likely to cause a crash and when city staff determines action is needed.
If a roadway does not meet the required thresholds in Step 2, city staff may consider solutions such as programmatic or educational interventions rather than engineering solutions. See Possible Pop-Up Solutions with asterisks in Step 3 for potential options. However, expenses associated with materials will be the responsibility of an HOA or residents, equipment from the city will be prioritized for projects that meet the standard of escalation, and the pop-up solution will be installed at the discretion of city staff.
Please note, there are thresholds that need to be met before the request is escalated to Step 3: Pop-Up Solution.