City installs 10,000th speed hump, celebrates safer neighborhood streets today
- 10,000th speed hump installed today "Hump Day" on Rutherford Street with Deputy Mayor, DPW and residents present
- Initiative began in 2018 as a limited pilot before growing in popularity with residents fed up with high speeds in neighborhoods
- Thousands of speed hump installations a direct result of block club requests
Today, the City of Detroit marked the 10,000th speed hump installation with Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison, Department of Public Works (DPW) and residents with a celebration and installing of a speed hump on Rutherford Street. The milestone hump was by residents who were excited to have another street in their community with additional speed deterrents.
The initiative began as a pilot program in 2018 with 32 speed humps installed and gained momentum in popularity as speeding incidents increased and residents becoming frustrated and fed up. Addressing speeding and safety concerns has been a priority for Mayor Mike Duggan’s administration, and implementation of the residential speed hump program is one of the initiatives that has greatly contributed to making our streets safer.
"We decided to try out speed humps five years ago to see if residents liked them and if they could be effective in addressing the growing problem of residential street speeding,” said Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison. “The response among residents was overwhelmingly positive and we now have installed 10,000 speed bumps across the city. The feedback we continue to receive and the data both show that speed humps are making our neighborhoods safer."
Before and after data analysis underscore the program's success, revealing a remarkable reduction in crashes on residential streets. Between 2020 and 2022, overall crashes on all residential streets decreased by 22%. On streets where speed humps were installed in 2021, the reduction in crashes was even more impressive, decreasing by 36%.
This data showcases the tangible impact of the city's traffic calming efforts, with the installation of speed humps proving to be a key factor in reducing reckless driving and speeding on residential blocks. Community feedback has been positive, with residents expressing notable improvements in safety and comfort on residential blocks.
"We are not just installing physical infrastructure but making streets safer for our residents,” said DPW Director Ron Brundidge. “The feedback we’ve received from residents is that the humps have been very effective in reducing speeding on our neighborhood streets.”
The success of the program is not just measured in numbers but also in the experiences of Detroiters across the city. With over 20,000 speed hump requests, residents have seized the opportunity to identify where traffic calming is most needed. This community-driven approach is integral to the City's commitment to creating public spaces that prioritize the well-being and safety of its residents.
“The broader impact of the program is about creating communities where people feel safe and connected,” said DPW Deputy Director Complete Streets James Hannig. “The success of the traffic calming program is a testament to our commitment to maintaining streets that prioritize the needs and safety of all roadway users."
Today’s Hump Day celebration included Sanders Bumpy Cake and music to commemorate the city-wide resident driven initiative to help reduce speeding.
The criteria used to consider for prioritizing speed hump installations is as follows:
- Local residential streets with speed limit of 25 mph
- Priority given to streets adjacent to active schools and parks
- DPD records of speeding and vehicle crashes
- Street used as known “cut through” to or from a major road
- Block housing density
- Amount of school-aged children
- Resident support on the block and valid request made
DPW strives for cleanliness, safety, and efficiency. DPW provides solid waste collection activities, facilitates the clearing of illegally dumped debris, provides construction and maintenance for city streets and sidewalks, snow and ice removal as well as maintains systems and devices for safe traffic flow.
