Comprehensive Traffic Calming Program for Arterials and Neighborhood

Since 1997, the City of Calabasas has been implementing traffic calming measures in the residential neighborhoods within the City. In the past few years, increased land development and significantly higher traffic volumes necessitate the Traffic and Transportation Division to expand a traffic calming program - the Comprehensive Traffic Calming for Arterials and Neighborhoods (CTCAN) – citywide. The CTCAN program includes collectors and arterial roadways - facilities which are intended to carry higher volume of traffic. By nature, an arterial traffic calming is a proactive action taken by the City to address issues such as increased traffic volume and high traffic speeds; collision rate and severity; safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, while keeping in mind the adverse affects on emergency response time and aesthetics. Along with traditional arterial traffic calming measures, such as median landscaping, lane narrowing and roundabouts, the Traffic and Transportation Division has implemented and recommends usage of high-tech traffic calming and safety devices such as electronic LED signs and in-pavement flashing crosswalks. This paper describes different traffic calming measures implemented in Calabasas and their effectiveness on the example of one of the most challenging arterials in the City – Mulholland Highway.