(City of Akron) Akron, Ohio, April 19, 2021 —After the successful testing of temporary speed tables in two Akron neighborhoods in 2020, the City will install 28 speed tables throughout Akron’s 10 Wards. Speed tables are raised areas placed at mid-block points across roadways and are designed to limit the speed at which vehicles travel. Unlike speed bumps, tables have tapered ends and long flat tops to accommodate the entire wheelbase of most passenger cars. Akron’s tables consist of interlocking pieces made from recycled rubberized material and will be bolted and glued into place on street surfaces. During last year’s pilot program, there was a 23% reduction in the number of speeders from 90 percent to 67 percent of traffic, and surveys provided to residents showed support for the speed tables.
“Speeding in residential areas is one of the most common concerns we hear from Akron residents, and with the successful testing of the speed tables in several neighborhoods, we can now implement the program throughout all of Akron’s wards,” Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said of the program. “Reducing vehicle speed on residential streets will help increase safety for residents in those neighborhoods. I’d like to thank our residents for providing feedback before, during, and after the pilot program and I’d also like to thank AMATS as well, for their continued support in expanding this program.”
Speed data from the Akron Police Department helped to determine streets for the installation. With the pilot study showing that sometimes more than one table is needed for sustained speed reduction, the streets and wards targeted for speed table installations include: Crosby Street (2) and Maple Street in Ward 1, Gorge Boulevard (2) in Ward 2, Diagonal Road (2) and Princeton Street in Ward 3, Storer Avenue (2) and Wildwood Avenue (2) in Ward 4, Inman Street (2) in Ward 5, Wedgewood Drive (2) in Ward 6, N. Firestone Boulevard (2) in Ward 7, Garman Road (2) and Castle Boulevard (4) in Ward 8, Florida Avenue (2) in Ward 9 and Adelaide Boulevard (2) in Ward 10. Signage will be posted to alert drivers to the speed tables.
“We noticed a dramatic change on Edgewood Avenue during the test period last year,” Akron Zoo CEO Doug Piekarz said, referring to the street adjacent to the zoo. “With children wanting to get out and be active this summer, the speed tables should create safer streets for families in those neighborhoods.”
The cost budgeted for the purchase and installation of the temporary speed tables is $155,000 ($5,000 per table plus equipment and signage costs) and the installation will begin in early summer. The tables will be removed in late fall.
“Residents who live on a street where the tables will be installed will be notified in advance of the exact location,” said Chris Ludle, Akron’s Director of Public Service. “We will make sure the speed tables will not interfere with a resident’s driveway or in areas of impending summer road improvements.”
Residents who would like to suggest potential locations for future speed table installations can visit the AMATS feedback website and leave a comment: https://amatsplanning.org/