The City of Cincinnati has become the first city in the region to install concrete “speed cushions” on its streets. Speed cushions are similar to speed humps, but with wheel cutouts to allow emergency vehicles to pass through without slowing down as much.

 

The city previously conducted a pilot project on Winneste Avenue with rubber speed cushions that showed the devices significantly calmed traffic. After installation of the rubber speed cushions, only 11 percent of vehicles on Winneste exceeded the speed limit (versus 95 percent previously). The average speed dropped from 37mph to 20mph.

While effective, the rubber speed cushions were a short-term solution, not intended to withstand weather year after year – the concrete speed cushions will last 30 years or more.

Another 22 streets are slated for construction of concrete speed cushions this year. These streets were submitted by community councils for consideration through the city's Pedestrian Safety program that looks at speed data, crash data, proximity to neighborhood business districts, and percentage of households without access to a vehicle.

If you are interested in traffic calming for a major street in your neighborhood, please contact your community council. 

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