Asheville Reporter

Residents who identify a particular street segment as potentially viable for traffic calming measures should begin by filling out a Traffic Calming Program Questionnaire. This includes a petition to demonstrate neighborhood support. Once submitted to the City, the Transportation Department will collaborate with neighbors to gather any additional information required for further steps.

The Transportation Department is dedicated to managing traffic speeds on roads that do not have established speeds outside of the 35 mph ordinance. As capacity allows, Traffic Engineering will conduct an engineering and traffic study in requested areas to determine whether measures to slow traffic are warranted.

To be considered a candidate for traffic calming, the traffic engineering study must show that either 15 percent or more of vehicles are traveling more than 5 miles per hour over the speed limit or that the total traffic volume on the street exceeds 1,000 vehicles per day. Additionally, approval from the Asheville Fire Department is necessary to ensure emergency response times will not be negatively impacted if traffic calming measures are installed.

Traffic calming studies take time and examine several factors, followed by the designation of funding for implementing changes. Once justified by these measures, a street will be considered as a candidate for an upcoming traffic calming project.

It is important to note that stop signs are not used for traffic calming purposes. However, the City does create All-Way Stop intersections on a case-by-case basis due to other safety and operational concerns.