City of Edmonds to install speed tables as part of traffic calming program

A typical speed table. (Photo courtesy Federal Highway Administration)

The City of Edmonds will be installing raised speed tables in two locations this spring as part of its traffic calming program.

The speed tables will be installed on 8th Avenue South between Elm Way and 15th Street Southwest and on Olympic View Drive between Olympic Avenue and High Street.

A speed table is a raised area placed across the roadway designed to physically limit the speed at which a vehicle can drive over it. The two locations — at 8th Avenue South and Olympic View Drive — were selected after a detailed evaluation that included collecting data on existing travel speeds, the city said in a news release. In addition to the technical evaluation, the city conducted a survey of property owners along each street segment and well over 60% of the respondents supported the placement of the speed tables.

The city’s public works department is scheduled to install two speed tables on 8th Avenue South in late March and four speed tables on Olympic View Drive in April. The work may be postponed due to inclement weather.

Maps showing planned locations of speed tables. (Courtesy City of Edmonds)

More information about where each speed table will be installed can be found here.

Contact Bertrand Hauss at 425-754-5325 or bertrand.hauss@edmondswa.gov for additional information about the city’s traffic calming program.

For information about this project in another language, you may request, free of charge, language assistance services by contacting Bertrand Hauss at 425-754-5325 or via e-mail at bertrand.hauss@edmondswa.gov.

Si desea obtener información sobre este proyecto en otro idioma, puede solicitar servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística poniéndose en contacto con Bertrand Hauss al (425) 754-5325 o por correo electrónico a bertrand.hauss@edmondswa.gov.

  1. These will be a nuisance, but a welcome one. It’s sad to need to install these, but traffic volume and speed on OVD have reached dangerous levels; stand near a “Your Speed” monitor and you’ll see half a dozen cars going 10 or 15 mph over the limit withing 5 minutes.

    Driving in Edmonds is getting bad. Yesterday I watched as two cars barely slowed at the stop sign at 3rd and Caspers just in the time it took me to walk by. Five minutes later, while crossing 3rd on the cross walk at 4th, a car which did not stop missed me by inches. A mailman and a driver coming from the other direction, who had stopped, both asked if I was ok and shook their heads about the incident.

  2. It works be great if they put some on 3rd Ave between Walnut and Dayton where there are always speeders and many accidents.

  3. I would love to see one of these on Main St between 7th and 9th Ave. That 2 block stretch can often resemble a drag strip.

    1. Fear not Darren, the city will soon be installing a much needed and, surely wanted by all, bike lane along this stretch with pedestrian bulb outs at two or maybe three corners of 8th. and Main. This is presumably so the pedestrians that frequent that intersection can see the cars and bicycles screaming at them thru the two way stop fairly routinely. Apparently the N.W. corner of the intersection will be exempt from a bulb out to protect an old legacy tree. It takes years and thousands of consultant dollars to arrive at these “fixes.” so we should all be happy and just accept them.

  4. FYI these are due to the petition form being filled out, signed by neighbors, studied, ranked, then decided on within the context traffic safety and budget. So, it’s not as simple as wishing something was done in your area because there are lots of areas where people think there are traffic issues and rightly so. Also, a number of petitions from 2023 were in fact moved forward but there wasn’t any money left, so have now been pushed off to 2024 before getting any new petitions added to the mix.

  5. We are one of 8 neighborhoods who meet the criteria for these speed reducing tables. Because of limited budget constraints, only these two were awarded the funding. The traffic calming program which requires submitting a petition each year, is not adequately funded. $100,000 per year is not enough to ensure safety in our neighborhoods. I suggest that the city council reviews the needs and increase the budget appropriately to accomplish these sorely needed safety measures before a tragedy occurs. I live on 84th Avenue W and witness speeding most any time day or night along the stretch between 236th Street SW and 220th Street SW. Very unsafe at intersections and walking along the unimproved aprons. I realize money is tight, but the priority needs to be on public safety. As a side note, I have not seen any significant enforcement in several years.

    1. Yes Glenn. And like your neighbors who went through this effort to be pushed off to this next year, instead of being prioritized for waiting, we are now being thrown in with the new requests this year at equal measure. Which doesn’t seem like the right way to move forward. Like you we have the same issues on 76th and we’ve been waiting for a very long time.

    2. It is unreal to me that this road doesn’t have a sidewalk on at least one side as well, also a reminder to all 3 drivers who may read my comment. Just because there isn’t a crosswalk you need to stop for pedestrians looking to cross streets without one (there aren’t many between 236th and 220th on 84th).

  6. These also need to be installed on Dayton Street between 6th and 9th to protect 100’s of children that frequent the Frances Anderson Center.
    A stop sign at 8th and Dayton prior to cars approaching the Frances Anderson Center (which our city owns and operates many childrens events and a childs daycare) is critical, for daycare drop offs and childrens sporting events.
    Dayton Street is the only street in the bowl with 3 blocks, in front of a designated childrens zone, that has no stop signs or speed control, over 3 city blocks, it’s basically a freeway for all to race up and down knowing they don’t have any stops and provides the fastest way in and out of Edmons. Time to change this oversight!

    1. But Nancy, the city has already addressed the problems with that intersection with the traffic circle and two way stop that supposedly calms the traffic through there. Never mind that up to half the people going thru the intersection don’t know which way has to stop and/or who has to yield. I’ve had several close calls in that piece of work. If you live here and are familiar with it, is one thing but to strangers and general speedster types it’s totally another thing.

  7. I applaud the City for taking this measure. I appreciate speed tables more than speed bumps as they are easier on the vehicle. We could use these in most neighborhoods, but these first proposed areas are a good start. Third Avenue from Woodway to past the City Park would be another priority area.

  8. Speed bumps could be less expensive, adjustable height based on speed limit, allowing for more speed controls for the same budget. Just a thought for the city to research.

  9. I agree with Gary Newman about putting a speed control on 3rd S. With no stops between Woodway and Dayton, it’s a raceway. The flashing lights at the crosswalk at Walnut help, but that doesn’t slow down the speeders.

  10. Are these “technical evaluations” available as Edmonds City public records? Is it a coincidence that the “survey of property owners” resulted in 4 speed tables on a road of multi-million dollar homes? If there are 4 speed tables in short distance on one road in Edmonds I have not seen one. Why not near schools (instead of cameras), elder housing, 3rd Ave., Main Street near the library, Sunset exiting the ferry, etc? I was not aware that there is a local battle to get these installed in neighborhoods.

  11. I take issue with using a petition system to help determine whether or not a street can be considered for traffic calming. First of all, it favors those who have political/social skills and connections with neighbors. Secondly, one may not necessarily live adjacent to a place they identify as having such a need. Case in point: I cross 9th Ave at Maple about 5 times a week. The speed limit there is 30, even though it’s only a quarter mile between the stops at Walnut and Main. The site line down to main is bad due to the hill. It’s an unmarked crosswalk, but I have to dash across. I’ve almost been hit when a car stopped to let me cross, but someone from behind tried to pass them. The speed limit should be lowered. The thing is, I don’t live in that area. How am I going to rally residents to my cause? At the head of my street, there is a dangerous steep blind curve without continuous sidewalks. It is objectively dangerous. I don’t live right there, but I walk there. Residents should be able to draw attention to such dangers, and let objective standards be used, rather than having to go through the rigamarole of gathering signatures and submitting a petition.

  12. We submitted this street calming with signatures in 2017 for Bowdoin Way thru Yost intersection to Walnut. Oh they did the speed study’s to see if the average speed was excessive to which said it was within the range they allow. What they didn’t seem to care about was the cars doing 40 and faster with even a few at 70 plus. Also the ones that feel they don’t have stop at the four way stop at one of our busiest parks Yost. The study I received showed with some calculations that over 900,000 vehicles use Bowdoin a year. Nothing was done for traffic calming on this issue. But we did get the bike lanes, parking only one side of street and bump outs which have not slowed traffic, or made people learn how to stop at signs. I finally gave up on the issue.

    1. I think tables are a great add. Let’s get the budget up for them over the next few years. There is little chance of drivers adhering to speed limits (25 or 30] anymore without tripling the police force. I have an insurance app on my phone right now tracking me and am reminded of speed limits and it’s been enlightening. If I’m going 30, many drivers are blowing by me at 40 and letting me know I’m an annoyance. 40 mph is the new 30 mph. We also need double the speed limit signage and it needs to be bigger and easier for drivers to see. Our vehicles have become our personal bubbles…….we are using our driving time to do so many other things that watching our speed and the road is no longer front and center. Maybe we need to bring back standard transmissions as drivers had to be actually engaged in driving.

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