DEVELOPING SUCCESSFUL NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC PLANS

Since the early 1980s, the city of Santa Ana has experienced increasing problems with cut-through traffic in neighborhoods as traffic growth has kept pace with explosive population growth. In response, the City began installing neighborhood traffic plans, consisting of traffic diverters and other less restrictive measures. Experience with the early traffic plans indicated the need for a standard procedure for handling traffic plan requests. The first procedure was developed in 1989 and was revised several times to reflect the experience gained with each additional plan. The current version is a comprehensive process which incorporates what have been found to be the elements of a successful traffic plan procedure. The neighborhood traffic plan program has been successful in reducing cut-through traffic and is well-received by both the public and the City Council. This paper describes the procedure, the keys to the procedure's success, and the benefits of following the procedure.