Neighborhood Traffic Management Program

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Neighbors painted a flower mandala design in the center of the quick-build traffic circle at the intersection of Maurice Ave. and Hastings St.


Making Missoula's Streets Safer for All People

In response to growing concerns about traffic safety, the City's Public Works & Mobility Department developed the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP). The program has the following goals:


  • Reduce the frequency and severity of crashes,
  • Slow neighborhood traffic,
  • Reduce the use of residential streets for cut through vehicle traffic,
  • Provide clear process to address citizen concerns, and
  • Encourage biking and walking.


The NTMP looks at areas where there are safety concerns and determines potential solutions—sometimes they are engineered solutions, sometimes they are educational and enforcement solutions, and sometimes they are neighborhood-driven solutions. We call these solutions Traffic Management Tools and Neighborhood Energizers.

We hope you also check out our presentation to the Public Works Committee as well as the Safe Speeds on City Streets document and Background Info tab below. We would like your feedback on this new program and want to answer your questions, so please use the Questions & Comments tab at the bottom of this page.






Our Process for Responding to Traffic Safety Requests

  1. Collect Information. We ask citizens to submit their request by completing the Report a Traffic Safety Concern form.
  2. Analyze Conditions. The Transportation Safety Team (TST) collects data to investigate and analyze conditions. TST may look at nearby intersections and streets to ensure any proposed solutions don't cause problems elsewhere.
  3. Score Data. Staff uses the following information to score the location and conditions. Different street types have different safety targets and receive points accordingly.
    • Traffic speed
    • Traffic volume
    • Crash history
    • Pedestrian generator (close to parks, schools, bus stops, and other facilities that draw pedestrian traffic)
    • Sidewalks (location, condition, ADA ramps, and future projects)
    • Contextual considerations (steep slope, curves, atypical right-of-way, etc.)
    • Equity (prioritizes under-served neighborhoods)
  4. Review Results. Staff will rank projects, review conditions, and decide if traffic management tools are appropriate. Whether or not staff recommends one of these tools, the neighborhood can still use neighborhood energizers to help encourage safer streets.
  5. Plan Solution. The NTMP uses quick-build engineering solutions and may be able to address the project within its current operations budget. If the solution requires a more permanent solution, the project will be added to the community improvement program (CIP) project list.




Making Missoula's Streets Safer for All People

In response to growing concerns about traffic safety, the City's Public Works & Mobility Department developed the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP). The program has the following goals:


  • Reduce the frequency and severity of crashes,
  • Slow neighborhood traffic,
  • Reduce the use of residential streets for cut through vehicle traffic,
  • Provide clear process to address citizen concerns, and
  • Encourage biking and walking.


The NTMP looks at areas where there are safety concerns and determines potential solutions—sometimes they are engineered solutions, sometimes they are educational and enforcement solutions, and sometimes they are neighborhood-driven solutions. We call these solutions Traffic Management Tools and Neighborhood Energizers.

We hope you also check out our presentation to the Public Works Committee as well as the Safe Speeds on City Streets document and Background Info tab below. We would like your feedback on this new program and want to answer your questions, so please use the Questions & Comments tab at the bottom of this page.






Our Process for Responding to Traffic Safety Requests

  1. Collect Information. We ask citizens to submit their request by completing the Report a Traffic Safety Concern form.
  2. Analyze Conditions. The Transportation Safety Team (TST) collects data to investigate and analyze conditions. TST may look at nearby intersections and streets to ensure any proposed solutions don't cause problems elsewhere.
  3. Score Data. Staff uses the following information to score the location and conditions. Different street types have different safety targets and receive points accordingly.
    • Traffic speed
    • Traffic volume
    • Crash history
    • Pedestrian generator (close to parks, schools, bus stops, and other facilities that draw pedestrian traffic)
    • Sidewalks (location, condition, ADA ramps, and future projects)
    • Contextual considerations (steep slope, curves, atypical right-of-way, etc.)
    • Equity (prioritizes under-served neighborhoods)
  4. Review Results. Staff will rank projects, review conditions, and decide if traffic management tools are appropriate. Whether or not staff recommends one of these tools, the neighborhood can still use neighborhood energizers to help encourage safer streets.
  5. Plan Solution. The NTMP uses quick-build engineering solutions and may be able to address the project within its current operations budget. If the solution requires a more permanent solution, the project will be added to the community improvement program (CIP) project list.



  • Background

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    Background

    Missoula citizens have been consistently vocal—through public surveys, open houses, and online forums associated with transportation plan updates—about their desire to make streets a safer place for all people. The City's planning staff has found that speed- and intersection-related crashes are important areas of focus to decrease the number of fatal and severe crashes in Missoula. In response, City Council asked staff to research the possibility of lowering speed limits citywide.

    Below is a brief look at the NTMP. For a more in-depth look at the research and development of this program, please read Safe Speeds on City Streets—Creating a Neighborhood Traffic Management Program.

    Who

    City Council asked staff to research the possibility of lowering speed limits citywide. The resulting study revealed the need for a more comprehensive approach to traffic safety and management, so the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) was created to take on this task. The program was developed by a work team made up of representatives from the Public Works & Mobility Department's Infrastructure & Mobility Planning and Engineering sections and Street Operations & Maintenance Division, as well as emergency services and the City Attorney’s office. NTMP will be implemented by the Transportation Safety Team (TST), with some guidance from other agencies as needed.

    What

    The NTMP is a comprehensive traffic safety program that uses the "6 E’s" of transportation safety—Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Evaluation, and Equity—to manage traffic speeds and volumes on residential streets. This program supports Vision Zero, the City’s goal to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by reducing travel speeds on neighborhood streets.

    Where

    The NTMP is limited to local jurisdiction residential streets, which are Neighborhood Greenways, Local Streets, and Residential Collectors. The NTMP will take a proactive look at Neighborhood Greenways, with priority given first to areas with high crash rates, then to important crosstown connections, and finally to the rest of the Neighborhood Greenway network. This program will also be a tool that TST can use to respond to citizen concerns and complaints related to speeding and traffic safety.

    When

    The NTMP will be an ongoing program, with planning and project development tasks taking place in the colder months and data collection and implementation taking place in the warmer months. The goal is to look at approximately five Neighborhood Greenway areas per year.

    Why

    City of Missoula is committed to safe and equitable transportation and strives to keep its streets, sidewalks, and paths safe for people of all ages and abilities to use all modes of transportation. The NTMP will address:

    • Rising crash numbers citywide
    • High crash rates on some local streets
    • High crash severity at uncontrolled intersections
    • The 25-mph speed limit, which may be inappropriate for some conditions (sight triangles, curbside sidewalks, Neighborhood Greenways)
    • Increased traffic due to population growth and infill development
    • Decreased traffic enforcement
    • Lack of complete and connected bike/pedestrian facilities
    • Lack of clear process for responding to citizen requests for traffic calming
    • Challenging and often expensive requirements for citizen-initiated traffic calming

    How

    Transportation planners created workflow diagrams so that the City's methods for proactively addressing traffic safety concerns as well as responding to citizen requests are clearly defined. They have prioritized individual neighborhood greenways for implementation, and this will guide the proactive approach. At the same time, staff will field complaints and requests for traffic management, collect data, and score projects for implementation. These planners also put together the list of neighborhood energizers as suggestions for slowing traffic that can be used alone or combined with another traffic-calming solutions.

  • In the News

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    Missoula looks to expand, improve neighborhood traffic plan as new season nears

    Feb. 17, 2022—https://www.kpax.com/news/missoula-county/missoula-looks-to-expand-improve-neighborhood-traffic-plan-as-new-season-nears

Page last updated: 06 Feb 2024, 10:37 AM