Traffic Calming Pilot Program 

In September 2023, the City of Santa Cruz adopted a Citywide Traffic Calming Toolkit (LINK). The aim of the toolkit is to have a process to evaluate and implement neighborhood traffic calming projects citywide.  

The Traffic Calming Pilot program is funded in the current year budget as a pilot. 

What is Traffic Calming 

Managing safe and efficient streets is an ongoing concern within many communities. Traffic calming measures provide tools for agencies to implement physical measures that help to manage vehicle traffic on neighborhood streets. Traffic calming plans includes measures which play crucial roles in creating safer, more livable, and sustainable communities.  

By implementing appropriate traffic calming measures, the City of Santa Cruz can create more people-friendly spaces that prioritize the needs and safety of all road users. The aim is to create more pleasant environment for everyone in the community. 

Example traffic calming treatments include speed humps, bulb-outs, slow turn wedges, and traffic circles. See the Traffic Calming Toolkit (LINK) for more details.  

Process:  

The City of Santa Cruz issued a Call for Projects and received 334 applications for traffic calming. Submittals were evaluated using the Ranking and Eligibility matrix in the adopted Traffic Calming Toolkit (LINK).  

With the available budget, three locations were selected from the 334 submitted applications to proceed to design. These locations ranked high on the matrix and were determined to be feasible with the tools available in the Toolkit.  

Traffic Calming Proposed Projects: