Page 79 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

THE JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC SCIENCES: THEORY AND PRACTICE, V.73, # 2, 2016, pp. 73-82

In order to plan and implement the most appropriate traffic calming measures for
residential areas, assumptions about vehicle types first have to be considered by
engineers, depending on the type of vehicle characterized for the place where measures
are to be taken, as the measures‟ effectiveness may vary in accordance with vehicle
type. For instance, using road humps to slow down buses is not as effective as speed
cushions, and road humps make noises which can annoy the closest residents.
Taking into consideration all the above-mentioned reasons, the article raises
the importance of traffic calming in residential areas for major purposes, such as
improving the safety of non-motorized road users, protecting the environment, and
preventing congestion and noise problems.
I would also advocate either home zones or speed humps in the residential
areas and slowing vehicle speeds to 20mph as the most convenient measures to
decrease the speed of vehicles entering residential areas.
As transforming streets into home zones is very expensive, speed humps can
be used instead but speed cushions should be used on bus routes in residential roads.
Some specialists consider speed humps inconvenient due to the noise caused when
vehicles are passing over them; moreover, some drivers consider them very
damaging to their vehicles.
Meanwhile, one-way roads within residential areas could make a great
contribution to the improvement of conditions for pedestrians and the environmental
state of the area as a whole. Apart from one way roads, cul-de-sacs are also advised
to be applied in residential areas.
It is also possible to create pedestrian zones banning the entrance of vehicles at
particular times of day in residential areas in existing inner cities. For instance,
traffic can be restricted from early morning until the evening and the same can be
applied to the parking of cars in these kinds of areas. Exceptions should be made for
emergency vehicles.
Local authorities in the UK have been receiving a high number of requests for
the installation of traffic calming measures where they are demanded by residents.
However, considering the fact that all of these measures cost money, some are
opposed to traffic calming measures in the future, preferring to use the money for
educational programmes. This means that authorities consider educational
programmes very useful in terms of educating drivers and pedestrians on how to
behave in order to mitigate the real dangers (BBC News, 2002). In fact, some critics
of traffic calming consider it a very abstract notion, as traffic is not a human being
so it cannot be calmed down. They consider these measures expensive and prefer to
have educational policies as well.

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