CINCINNATI - Given the success of the speed cushion pilot project on Winneste Avenue in 2021, the Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) will be expanding the program to 10 neighborhoods this year.

The Winneste Avenue pilot project showed that the speed cushions resulted in a dramatic decrease in speeding. After installation of the speed cushions, only 11 percent of vehicles traveling on Winneste Avenue exceeded the posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour compared with 95 percent of vehicles speeding in the same location prior to the installation. DOTE is optimistic that similar reductions in speed will be seen when the program is expanded to other streets.

DOTE uses a data-driven process to select and prioritize locations for speed cushions. The department reaches out to community councils regularly via email and phone to collect feedback on areas of concern related to traffic calming and pedestrian safety. These locations are investigated and scored on a number of factors including:

• History of pedestrian crashes
• History of fatal/severe injury crashes
• History of fixed object crashes (typically indicative of speeding)
• Proximity to a neighborhood business district
• Proximity to a school, recreation center, park, library, or other pedestrian generator
• Volume of transit ridership at adjacent bus stops
• Percent of zero-car households

This system ensures that existing crash hot spots are addressed, as well as locations where a large number of people are traveling on foot such as schools and recreation areas. DOTE also analyzes quarterly crash data to ensure that the top pedestrian crash hot spots are considered for traffic calming whether or not they are requested by a community council.
After scoring, all of these locations are ranked in order of priority of high to low scores.

Based on existing funding, DOTE anticipates being able to install approximately 30 sets of speed cushions on the ten highest scoring street segments in 2022. If bids come in lower than expected, or more funding becomes available, DOTE will continue to fund additional streets in order of priority.

A “set” of speed cushions could include two to five cushions extending across a street, curb to curb. Sets of speed cushions are typically installed 300 feet to 400 feet apart to calm traffic within a specific area. DOTE intends to install two to four sets of asphalt speed cushions in each priority street segment listed in the following table:

Rank	Street Segment	Neighborhood
1	Reading: Hickman to Shuttlesworth	Avondale
2	Warsaw: Grand to McPherson	East Price Hill
3	Burnet: University to Kasota	Corryville/Avondale
4	Harrison: McHenry to Lafeuille	Westwood
5	Reading: Seymour to Shenandoah	Roselawn
6	Linn: Oliver to Clark	West End
7	Winneste: Craft to WinMed Health	Winton Hills
8	Montgomery: Blair to Dana	Evanston
9	Glenway: Gilsey to Schiff	West Price Hill
10	Reading: Dorchester to Kinsey	Mt. Auburn/Walnut Hills

DOTE will engage with each community council on exact placement of the speed cushions. The department expects to have the design completed within the next two months and anticipates construction to begin this summer (2022).