Just a month ago, calming.asp'>traffic calming solutions made their first appearance on the streets of Tulsa County, OK. After concerned residents complained of speeding and cut-through traffic on their residential street, the County conducted a speed study at the location. The complaints were confirmed- motorists were driving far too fast. The county tried police enforcement but ticketing motorists didn’t seem to help. When the City of Owasso installed an asphalt speed bump on the portion of road leading up to the County section, County Engineer Ray Jordan decided to install speed tables to slow cars down.
Mr. Jordan’s research of traffic calming alternatives led him to pre-manufactured rubber speed tables rather than asphalt ones. His reasoning? “They’re just as effective, even quicker to install, and if they failed or there was a legal issue, we could easily remove them.”
Once he decided on the rubber option, he began calling different municipalities for advice. “Everyone I asked said the same thing,” he chuckled, “use Traffic Logix.”
The Traffic Logix speed tables provided the ease of installation, and portability that the County was looking for. They also liked the aesthetic appearance of the tables and the secure anchor system that holds the tables in place.
Two speed tables were installed on 111th st., running West of 129th East Ave, which is often used as a cut-through to nearby soccer fields. The stretch is a 2 lane residential roadway with more than 1,200 cars a day. The posted speed limit is 35. Speed studies found an 85th percentile speed of close to 50 mph with some cars going as fast as 70 or 80 mph. A speed table was installed 600 feet into the road, with a 3 way stop sign 600 feet later where side streets intersect the roadway. Six hundred feet later, a second speed table was installed, followed by the City’s speed bump 600 ft further down.
“So far we’ve had nothing but praise from residents and local officials,” said Mr. Jordan.
The formal follow-up traffic study is slated for early summer, but anecdotal accounts seem to indicate that the tables are making a big difference in controlling speed in the area. If the speed tables continue to function well for the County, there’s a good possibility they’ll be making a repeat performance.
