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Speed Hump Request

Speed Hump Request

Let us know if you are concerned that there may be a speeding problem or too much cut-through, non-neighborhood traffic on your residential street. Since there are some criteria that must be met, we will perform an evaluation to determine if your street is eligible for the installation of speed humps.

It’s simple. You can make a request to 311 via the app, phone (just dial 311) or online by visiting https://www.memphistn.gov/government/311 and providing the following information:

Name
Address
Phone Number
Email Address
Street Segment to be considered (e.g. Young Ave. between S. Barksdale St. and Cooper St.)

If you prefer, you can download a request form and mail your request to:

Traffic Engineering
City Hall
125 N. Main Street, Room 668
Memphis, Tennessee 38103

You will be contacted by email or mail to confirm that your request has been received.
*Note: Make sure your contact information (name, address, phone number) is included in your request for speed humps. Anonymous requests cannot be processed and will be closed.

To learn more about the Speed Hump Program and some of the requirements, please read the following sections.

Speed Hump Request Procedures
Identify the specific street segment of concern, such as X street between Y street and Z street (see example above). It is better to identify a specific street where there is a concern as opposed to requesting a speed hump study for every street in a neighborhood. It is desirable that a speed hump request be from a neighborhood association or group; however, if one does not exist, request will be accepted from individual citizens. All requests for speed humps will be addressed in the order they are received. Please note that all speed hump requests must be reviewed and approved by the Memphis Fire Department to ensure that the installation of speed humps will not adversely impact emergency response.
Street segments that do not meet the criteria contained in the Speed Hump Program Installation Policy will be rejected. This includes requests for speed humps on major roadways (i.e. arterials) and roadways that have more than one travel lane in each direction. Rejected street segments are not eligible for reapplication for a period of 2 years from the rejection date. Street segments that do meet the criteria must be approved by at least 75 percent of the residences within an identified impact area. Approved street segments will then be placed on a list for installation. The speed humps will be installed as funding is available.

Project Approval Criteria
Speed hump requests will be evaluated on the basis of existing speeds and volumes. For a street to be considered for speed humps Condition 1 (Speed) and Condition 2 (Volume) must be met.

Condition 1 – Speed
The speed criterion considers the difference between the posted (or regulatory) speed limit and the measured speed of vehicles over a 24-hour period. To be considered, the 85th percentile speed along the street must exceed the posted (or regulatory Speed Limit) by 5mph if the posted Speed Limit is 25mph or below. If the posted Speed Limit is greater than 25mph, the 85th percentile speed must be greater than the posted Speed Limit.

Condition 2 – Volume
To meet this condition, the 24-hour volume must exceed 300 vehicles or the hourly volume must exceed 50 vehicles during a single hour. The 24-hour volume cannot exceed 7000 vehicles. Streets that exceed this volume are considered major collector or arterial streets and not eligible for speed humps.

Variances
Variances are special considerations that are granted to street segments that meet specific criteria. These variances supersede the evaluations of conditions 1 and 2.

Collision Variance
A special variance will be granted for any requested segment that has exhibited 3 or more crashes per year over the past 3 years that can be corrected by the installation of speed humps.

School Zone/Park Variance
A special variance will be granted for any request that runs adjacent to a school or park. This variance is limited to the bounds of the school/park property.

Excessive Speeding Variance
A special variance will be granted for any eligible street that exhibits excessive speeding. This variance will override the minimum volume criteria listed in Condition 2 (Volume). Excessive speeding shall be defined by the measured 85th percentile speed exceeding the posted or regulatory speed limit by 10 mph.

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