After traffic studies found more than 89% of drivers exceeding the speed limit, Pittsburgh is moving ahead with traffic calming efforts in Carrick and Beechview.
Crews will begin work this week, weather permitting, to slow traffic on Nobles Lane between Saw Mill Run and Brownsville roads in Carrick and on Cape May Avenue between Dagmar and West Liberty avenues in Beechview. Work will take place from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
On Nobles Lane, a 2020 traffic study requested by residents found that 95% of motorists drove above the speed limit of 25 miles an hour. Additionally, 15 crashes occurred in that area from 2021 through 2024.
To slow down traffic, crews will install six speed tables on Nobles along with roadway markings and street signs to warn drivers of the devices. Speed tables are long flat devices that raise the level of the road several inches to encourage drivers to slow down.
Work in Carrick is expected to start on Thursday and take two days to complete. The road will be closed to through traffic during asphalt placement, but flaggers will allow residents to get to and from their homes.
In Beechview, a traffic study last year found that 89% of motorists go faster than the speed limit of 25 miles an hour on Cape May and seven crashes occurred from 2021 to 2024. Crews are expected to begin four days of work on Friday to install four speed tables on Cape May and two speed humps on Dagmar, plus upgraded crosswalks, painted parking lines, pavement markings and signs to warn drivers about the surface changes.
Again, there will be no through traffic allowed during asphalt work, and flaggers will let residents in and out of the neighborhood.
Speed humps are shorter, sharper impediments to get drivers to slow down.
The effort is part of the city’s Vision Zero program announced last year with a goal of eliminating traffic deaths. In addition to responding to neighborhood concerns, a team reviews every fatal crash to determine whether changes should be made to prevent future incidents.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.