Do drivers regularly speed through your neighborhood? You may worry about your safety when walking, crossing the street or watching your children play nearby. Speed cushions can help slow traffic, but how does the city decide where to install them? Cincinnati uses neighborhood requests and safety data to prioritize these improvements.
How the city ranks streets for speed cushions
Speed cushions are raised sections of pavement designed to slow drivers while allowing emergency vehicles to pass through gaps between them.
The Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) operates a traffic-calming program that ranks streets using five factors:
- Speeding (60%): The number and percentage of speeding vehicles based on traffic monitored over 48 hours.
- Crash history (10%): Serious or fatal crashes and bicycle or pedestrian crashes near the proposed location.
- Equity (10%): Neighborhood data reflecting underserved populations and limited access to vehicles.
- Pedestrian destinations (10%): How close the street is to schools, parks, libraries, businesses and other places people visit on foot.
- Bus use (10%): The number of passengers using bus stops along the street.
Together, these measures help the city identify where safety improvements are most needed. However, residents must first bring their concerns to officials’ attention.
How can you request speed cushions?
You can contact your community council to suggest a street for consideration. Each council may nominate up to two locations for the city’s competitive program.
The city runs this competitive program on a two-year cycle, so you may need to wait for the next request period before your community council can submit a street.
DOTE collects the traffic data, evaluates each submitted street and publishes the final rankings. You can also request a traffic study through Cincinnati 311, but this does not replace the community council nomination process for speed cushions.
How can you check your street’s ranking?
The city publishes a list of scored and ranked streets on its traffic-calming website. You can check whether your location appears on the list and see which projects receive funding. However, a high ranking does not guarantee installation because funding is limited.
What can you do about speeding in your neighborhood?
Understanding Cincinnati’s selection process can help you participate in local road safety efforts. Your community council can explain how to submit a street for consideration. If speeding has already contributed to a crash that injured you or a family member, a personal injury attorney can help you understand your options for seeking compensation.