Projects
Speed Management Program - Engineering Study

Overview: The City of New Orleans is working to reduce excessive speeds and make streets safer. Research shows that as speeds increase, the chances of a pedestrian surviving a crash decrease significantly. The Department of Public Works (DPW) kicked off DPW758 Speed Management Program Engineering Study in June 2024.

This project aims to identify where excessive speeding is occurring and devise solutions for ensuring actual speeds are compliant with posted speed limits. DPW’s consultant on this project, Vectura Consulting Services, LLC, has been tasked with evaluating DPW’s current procedures and recommending improvements for effective speed management based on industry best practices.    

Different cities use various methods to manage speeds and set speed limits, often based on traffic data or other forms of analysis. Currently, the City lacks a clear guide for which strategies should be used on different types of streets, and there is no dedicated budget for speed management or long-term monitoring of speed data. The Speed Management Program Engineering Study will do the following:  

1. Identify model speed management programs used in other US cities – as more cities organize resources around transportation safety, speed management programs have proliferated in recent years. Understanding the state of the practice can provide a blueprint for the City’s new Speed Management Program. 

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2. Establish an efficient review process of speed complaints – speeding complaints from the public are currently received on an ongoing basis. The SMP should present a replicable formula for screening speed complaints from various sources (i.e., 311, photo enforcement requests, DPW staff, and elected officials). This formula will ultimately be used by DPW staff as complaints are received to determine if a complaint is valid and requires further evaluation. 

3. Collect traffic data to further assess speed complaints - additional data concerning actual speeds, traffic volumes, and existing speed limits will need to be assessed to verify speed complaints. 

4. Prioritize speed complaints by relative community risk – the means by which DPW staff may prioritize speed complaints for possible interventions should consider such factors as the potential for injuries, property damage costs, and quality of life impacts. 

5. Identify where local speed regulations can be improved to reduce community risk – in some cases the existing speed limit may be determined to be inappropriate for the urban context, such as streets along parks or in dense commercial corridors. Where appropriate, existing speed limits may need to be adjusted. 

6. Establish a range of solutions that can effectively reduce speeds – Short- and long-term solutions will be needed depending on the priority of the speed issue. A range of enforcement, educational, and roadway engineering measures should be identified for appropriateness and feasibility. Performance measures for evaluating speed reduction effectiveness will also be required. 

7. Identify Speed Management Program staffing and equipment needs - sufficient and appropriately trained staff with modern equipment will be needed to successfully administer the City’s new Speed Management Program. This analysis may inform future operating budget requests.

Updates for the Speed Management Program Engineering Study will be provided as they become available. 

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Questions: 

• If you have questions about the project, please contact us at 504-905-1561 or email us at andrew.logan@nola.gov
• For media inquries, please contact our Communications Department at 504-658-4945 or email us at communications@nola.gov

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