CENTERVILLE—Centerville City officials trying to make city streets safer for residents are finding it’s not an easy proposition. At a recent Aug. 6 work session, the Centerville City Council discussed possible traffic calming measures for 100 South and 400 East, along with other city streets.

While the city council held the discussion in response to resident complaints about 100 South and 400 East, those gathered quickly came to the conclusion that the city needs a traffic calming policy so that measures would be employed consistently across the community based on criteria established in the policy.

“If you do go in and implement some of these [suggestions], I think you need to be prepared with a comprehensive plan,” City Engineer Kevin Campbell said. “I don't think that we can just say we’re just going to do this in one spot, because as soon as you do one of these in one spot, you’re going to have folks come out say, hey, well, I’d like to have [that].”

Municipalities employ several different measures, each of which have both positives and negatives, Public Works Director Mike Carlson said. For instance, while speed bumps/humps can sometimes be effective, usually after installation residents in the neighborhood ask to have them removed, he said.

“In talking with a lot of people, the things that usually happen with speed bumps is, bottom line people want them in,” he said. “The second thing is they complain about the noises, because every time a trailer goes over the top of them, or a vehicle, you hear the bang or whatever. And then the next thing, which is kind of weird to me, which was a learning curve, was pollution. So, the car going over the top and the pollution, or the car taking off again, creates pollution – so starting and stopping in that. And usually, the last request is they want them removed.”

Speed bumps can also cause damage to fire engines and trucks going over them, along with making the ride especially difficult when they are transporting patients, Fire Chief Dane Stone said.

“I don’t know if anybody’s ridden in the back of an ambulance, but they are not made for patient comfort, and so any waterway that we hit or bump that we hit, that patient feels that,” Stone said. “And most of the time that we are taking patients off of Deuel Creek, they are in pain and to hit a traffic calming device, an elevated walkway, whatever is not favorable.”

The city has had some success with flashing speed feedback signs, Campbell said. Most motorists who see they are driving too fast will lower their speeds when they see them flashed on the signs, he said.

Police department speed traps can be less effective, Chief Allen Ackerson said. While Centerville police officers manned speeding hot spots 27 times from March to May, not a lot of citations were issued, he said. The presence of the officers did act as a deterrent while they were there, he said.

Other options are striping or shoulder buildouts. 

I was thinking of what’s on Main Street, which is just sort of a shoulder,” Councilmember Gina Hirst said. “It’s more of an opportunity. I think drivers view that as like, ‘Oh, don’t go over the white line. And I think as far as children going up and down that street, it’s, the ability for the parents to say, ‘You need to stay on this side of the white line.’ It’s just an educational help.”

Curb extensions can be effective and have been successful in other Davis County communities, but they are pricy, Campbell said. “This can be much more expensive, but it can make the pedestrian feel safer, to give them more park strip and more space, to just feel more comfortable, and it has shown to slow the traffic down.”

While the city council held the discussion in response to resident complaints about 100 South and 400 East, those gathered quickly came to the conclusion that the city needs a traffic calming policy so that measures would be employed consistently across the community based on criteria established in the policy. Under that policy certain extenuating circumstances such as the lack of sidewalks or a lack of road curves would be considered.

The council did not take any action at the end of the discussion except to suggest city staff work on developing a policy.