Cambridge is Getting Bumpier on Purpose
Also today: Johannesburg’s mayor has 14 days to explain how he’ll fix the city's finances, and a NY utility provider says it needs to increase rates to tackle climate change.
A view of a speed hump warning sign on Claybourne Street.
Photographer: David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
As federal funding and support for urban traffic safety become less available in the US, cities might consider a modest alternative: the speed hump. Cambridge, Massachusetts, for example, is installing speed humps for the first time as part of a pivot toward quicker fixes.
The change comes after years of resident demand. Unlike other safety measures, speed humps often garner public support and tend to satisfy NIMBY sentiments by protecting residents without drastically altering the surroundings. And a modest decrease in speed can have an outsized impact on safety by both reducing crashes and making them less deadly, writes David Zipper. While they represent a rare win-win in policy, their adoption can face challenges in some cities. Today on CityLab: All Hail the Humble Speed Hump
— Arvelisse Bonilla Ramos