Neighborhood Traffic Management Program

One of the most common concerns the City receives is that cars are being driven through neighborhoods in a manner not compatible with the quality of life that is expected. The issues range from excessive speeding, to high vehicle volume, or people using streets as shortcuts, just to name a few. The behavior of motorists in Oakley is common throughout the State and the Nation. Over the last decade or so an area of transportation referred to as “traffic calming” has rapidly evolved and become commonplace.

In November 2014 the City formally adopted the Updated Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (referred to as the NTMP) to implement traffic calming techniques within the City.  This program creates a process for neighborhoods to take the lead in working with City Staff to study a particular traffic issue, identify potential solutions, and develop neighborhood consensus on desired measures.  Under the NTMP, funding for the development and construction of traffic calming devices in existing neighborhoods is provided by the City.

The City’s traffic calming program targets two-lane residential streets. Its objectives include:

  • Reduce 85th percentile travel speeds (the speed at which 85 percent of vehicles travel at or below on a particular street) to within 5 mph of the speed limit
  • Reduce cut-through traffic where existing levels are inappropriate and where the remedy will not create a problem on other streets
  • Improve safety for motor vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians
  • Provide adequate access for emergency vehicles
  • Enhance the quality of life for Oakley Residents

These objectives are met through a combination of parallel strategies, known collectively as the “Three E’s”:

  • Education – Information-sharing and awareness raising, targeting drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists about the safest, best ways to share the road.
  • Enforcement – Targeted police enforcement that supports neighborhood goals.
  • Engineering – Physical measures constructed to reduce speeds, improve safety, or otherwise reduce the impacts of automobiles.

Although this program primarily focuses on the engineering aspects of traffic calming, education and enforcement programs are an integral part of the NTMP. The Oakley Police Department provides neighborhood enforcement of traffic speeds and rules of the road. While enforcement cannot be conducted 24 hours a day, a routine enforcement program can regulate and reinforce driver behavior city wide.  Engineering measures, on the other hand, are a viable alternative that typically is self-enforcing 24 hours a day.  Together the “Three E’s” approach provides a comprehensive program.

To make a formal request for the City to study and possibly implement traffic calming procedures in your neighborhood, please complete the Citizen Request Form and submit the form to the City of Oakley Engineering and Public Works Department.

Oakley Neighborhood Traffic Management Program Policy

NTMP Citizen Request Form