What is Traffic Calming?
Traffic calming is a process involving community members and city staff to address safety needs on neighborhood streets.
What is a safe street?
The City of Harrisonburg considers safe streets as streets that facilitate all types of mobility and encourage appropriate vehicle speeds. The intended result of safe streets is a reduction of the risk of crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program (NTCP) Current Projects
The Harrisonburg Public Works Transportation Planning division is currently working on Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program updates and is working to publish traffic calming decision-making processes so they are clear and consistent. Also, some significant changes being considered are transitioning to a more data-driven scoring system, expanding the criteria that determines traffic calming need, streamlining the number of steps required, and posting the scores of eligible requested streets each year. The 2025 NTCP will update various aspects of the existing 2012 NTCP relating to:
- Process
- Community Effort
- Thresholds & Criteria
- Equity Considerations
- Clarity about what warrants traffic calming
Traffic Calming Process Draft Open House
Harrisonburg Public Works hosted an open house Tuesday, April 29 from 4:00pm - 6:00pm in the Harrisonburg City Hall Council Chambers, 409 South Main Street, where community members learned about the NTCP update effort and had the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback on the proposed traffic calming process.
NTCP 2025 Guide Draft: View the Draft of the 2025 Traffic Calming Guide
Traffic Calming Process Draft Questionnaire
A Questionnaire is available to collect public thoughts/questions and will be available digitally until May 18. Written or oral questions and comments may be submitted to Brittany Clem-Hott by emailing brittany.clem-hott@harrisonburgva.gov or calling 540-434-5928.
Program Information
- Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program Guide [1.6MB] , updated November 2012
- Team Up to Slow Down Program
To request police radar, speed trailer, and/or enforcement of speeds on your street, please contact the Sgt. Wayne Westfall, Harrisonburg Police Department's Operations Division, at 540-434-4436 or Wayne.Westfall@harrisonburgva.gov.
Still have questions or wish to enroll your neighborhood in the Traffic Calming Program? Contact Jakob zumFelde, Public Works Planner, at 540-434-5928 or Jakob.zumFelde@harrisonburgva.gov
Neighborhood Information
- Sunset Heights Neighborhood
This section is for the Sunset Heights Neighborhood and will be updated with meeting summaries, maps, and information related to neighborhood traffic safety concerns and efforts to address them.
Resources
- Traffic Calming Plan [707KB] - June 2021
- Phase II Neighborhood Outreach [5MB] - 2020
- May 27, 2020 Meeting Summary [58KB]
- Adopted Traffic Calming Plan [6MB] - 2019
- June 9, 2015 Meeting Summary [897KB]
- July 28, 2015 City Council Agenda and Presentation [video] - Traffic study request
- February 16, 2016 Meeting Summary [337KB]
- Traffic Study Report [84KB] - October 2015
- Traffic Study Map [897KB] - October 2015
- Petition Area Map [6MB]
- Additional Resources
- 85th Percentile Speeds, Harrisonburg Neighborhood Traffic Calming Guide, page 38
- Research on Four-Way Stops (multi-way stops, all-way stops)
Contact information:
- Public Works Department: James Polhamus, Public Works Transportation Planner, at James.Polhamus@harrisonburgva.gov or 540-434-5928
- Police Department: Sgt. Wayne Westfall, Traffic Operations, Wayne.Westfall@harrisonburgva.gov or 540-434-4436
- Northeast Neighborhood
Proposed Intersection Safety Improvements
Public Works staff and the Transportation Safety and Advisory Commission have identified changes to improve safety at the intersections in the neighborhood, with a focus on those intersections that have had the most crashes over the last seven years. Information about the changes that have been completed and changes that are proposed can be found in this document:
English: Intersection Safety Changes 2022 [1.36MB]
Spanish: Intersection Safety Changes 2022 [1.4MB]
Arabic: Intersection Safety Changes 2022 [1.44MB]
To ask questions or provide comments about the proposed changes, contact Jakob zumFelde, Public Works Planner, at 540-434-5928 or Jakob.zumFelde@harrisonburgva.gov.
This section is for the Northeast Neighborhood and will be updated with meeting summaries, maps, and information related to neighborhood traffic safety concerns and efforts to address them.
November 2021- Intersections Identified for Safety Improvements:
January 28, 2020 City Council Agenda [105] and Presentation [Video] - Neighborhood Enrollment
July 12, 2017 Meeting Summary [4MB]
September 26, 2017 City Council Agenda [124KB] and Presentation [Video] - Traffic study request
Traffic Study Map, December 2017 [3MB]
Traffic Study Results, December 2017 [3MB]
Contact information:
- Neighborhood Representatives Organizer: Kyle Lawrence, lawrence.kyle.d@gmail.com
- Public Works Department: Jakob zumFelde, Public Works Planner at 540-434-5928 or Jakob.zumFelde@harrisonburgva.gov
- Police Department: Sgt. Wayne Westfall, Traffic Operations, Wayne.Westfall@harrisonburgva.gov, 540-434-4436
- Portland East Neighborhood
This section is for the Portland East Neighborhood and will be updated with meeting summaries, maps, and information related to neighborhood traffic safety concerns and efforts to address them.
- June 14, 2022 City Council meeting – No Thru Traffic [1.32MB] and Presentation [Video]
- November 26, 2018 City Council Adopted Portland East Neighborhood Traffic Calming Plan [2MB]
- October 1, 2018 Draft Neighborhood Traffic Calming Plan Completed [2MB]
- August 8, 2018 Meeting Summary [395KB]
- April 5, 2018 Meeting Summary [140KB]
- April 24, 2018 City Council Agenda [129KB] and Presentation [Video] - Traffic study request
- Traffic Study Results, April 2018 [2MB]
- Petition Area Map [353KB]
Additional Resources
- Research on Four-Way Stops (multi-way stops, all way stops)
Contact information:
- Neighborhood Representatives Organizer: Greg Deeds, Greg.Deeds@harrisonburgva.gov
- Public Works Department: Jakob zumFelde, Public Works Planner at 540-434-5928 or Jakob.zumFelde@harrisonburgva.gov
- Police Department: Sgt. Wayne Westfall, Traffic Operations, Wayne.Westfall@harrisonburgva.gov, 540-434-4436