reversing your street or making it a dead end doesn't stop people from speeding. It just makes it someone else's problem.

Speed humps are probably your best bet . . . and no, speeding motorists can't sue if the city uses approved devices.

fire trucks can't fit down most side streets as it is. I don't know what difference a chicane is going to make but you will lose at least two parking spaces with it. And speaking of parking, if you park at the end of a dead-end street does that mean you have to back all the way out?

A good point about rescue vehicles... they never come down our street, but always park at the ends.

Speed humps were actually once suggested at one our block meetings... My only concern is the noise (both profane and automotive) that they might generate, but perhaps it wouldn't be so bad.

Anyone have a suggestion about someone helpful in a relevant city department to talk to about some options here? (You can send a private message if you wish.)

Exactly. Making a "dead end" is ludicrous.


What is the street in question?

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After almost being a hit a few times on my bike by people blowing through stop signs, I have given the issue some thought. My conclusion is that human beings are fundamentally selfish and will break the laws whenever they can justify it to themselves. In the case of running stop signs, they figure there's no one coming the other way, so why should they bother to stop?

Obviously, there's no way to ticket people for speeding in the city, but running stop signs is something the police could do something about.

From time to time, I've seen cops pull people over for the "South Philly roll" and yell at them, but I've never seen them give out a ticket. And I've seen plenty of people blow stop signs or lights in front of or behind cops without getting ticketed.

There are *sshole drivers in any city, but the grid is a resource that everyone relies on and screwing with it does a disservice to us all. After reading about what Rizzo did in this thread I'm actually pretty ticked. If you want less traffic, there are suburbs in almost any direction.

I do understand your want for people to do the speed limit, though. How narrow is your street? Drivers slow down considerably when they feel they're in danger of side-swiping something. Just take a look at how much slower traffic on side streets is when everyone's got their garbage out. Big terra cotta planters placed close to the curb will do the same thing and they make your place look nice. You'll need more than just one house to do it though . . .

Good luck to you.

Ah, the brotherly love is overwhelming here. Just looking for advice about a problem. No need to get nasty.

Making a dead end may not work, but the principle behind it is very worthy, I think. Check out this website as an example: http://www.trafficcalming.org/history.html. Oh, and here is something about "speed humps": http://www.trafficcalming.net/speed_humps.htm. Apparently, they are different than speed bumps.

Will not reveal the street for privacy reasons--sorry.

He only did it to the secondary streets, so it's not like he effed with the grid itself. His rational (I've been told) was that it would keep people from traveling at high speeds during pursuits and crashing into people on the major streets.

Planters are a good idea. Bollards work, too, but both mean that you have to give up your sacred South Philly right to park on the effing sidewalk.

It would be helpful if we knew which street and which blocks we're talking about.

where is this problem taking place?

Planters are a great idea, as are street trees. The planters should probably be plastic disguised to look like terra cotta, so that they will last more than a week. If emergency vehicles need to get down a street, they can jump the curb, and, if there are planters, move them back. Bollards are a bad idea, as they are easily damaged but hard to repair. Here in East Falls a guy was so sick of moronic drivers crashing past the curb and the sidewalk at a curve in Ridge Avenue that he had massive boulders trucked in and placed on the sidewalk. They're maintenance-free; all he needs to do is sweep up the mangled car parts after there has been an accident and the ruined car has been towed away. His next-door neighbor was trying to get street trees to do the same thing, but in the six months since he planted them one was damaged beyond repair by an out of control car and then it and two more were utterly destroyed in a later accident. It is really sad, when you think about it. These things are so predictable; I knew those trees would never live to maturity.

Soon a large 'East Falls' sign will be erected at Midvale Avenue and Kelly Drive, right in the middle of Midvale. The designers know what will happen, so enough concrete to stop a bus is being poured at the base of the sign to protect said sign, which will be elevated above this massive pedestal.