A “table top” style speed hump consisting of a 6’ parabolic approach to a 10’ long plateau in the center
Call the Baltimore City Department of Transportation to begin the process of getting humps installed. The majority of the residents on the block will have to agree.
311 (in city) or 443-263-2220 (outside of the city)
Safety and Silence
In an urban environment, streets are not just throughways for cars, but gathering places - spaces where kids play and neighbors talk. But to allow that pedestrian usage safely, particularly in some of the tighter streets of HUB West Baltimore, drivers need to be held to the speed limit. And the easiest, least invasive, least expensive way of doing that - for drivers, for police and for the city - is by simple installation of speed humps. Not speed bumps, which are much smaller, louder, and can damage the undercarriage of vehicles - but speed humps (as seen in the link and also above), which are larger, quieter, and unlikely to damage cars. Both work to slow traffic, but only the latter - the speed humps - does it near-silently and unobtrusively. And these are potentially available for free installation on residential streets through Baltimore’s traffic calming programs. The key requirements are available funding and a majority consensus of residents on the block.
Example of a Traffic-Calming Speed Hump on a South Baltimore Street
Dirt Bike Deterrence
One additional benefit from the installation of speed humps will likely be that it will severely limit the chance that dirt bikes will make their way on to these side streets - at least bikes traveling at high speed. Speed humps aren’t worth the trouble for riders looking for a clear path on which to more safely do tricks. Again, it’ll be just another way to make the streets belong to residents, and safe for them to use them.
Incidentally, Baltimore is not alone in having dirt bikes frequent residential streets. See this video here, of a common occurrence in Washington- and the accompanying story here.
