Above is an example of a traffic undulation used in an historic district in Athens, GA.

Old North Knoxville is back on track with traffic calming!  On August 3, the Traffic Calming Committee, led by Tim Sparer, met with Dave Watson (Director, East Tennessee Community Design Center, or ETCDC), and Bill Cole (Knoxville's Traffic Engineering Division) to discuss a schedule to take up where we left off on March 18, 2004.  As you may recall, the city called a halt to all traffic calming efforts by area neighborhoods until an ad-hoc committee led by Councilman Joe Bailey could "study the issues" surrounding this new widespread phenomenon.  This committee, called the Residential Neighborhood Traffic Safety Committee, has now set up some ground rules for doling out money to neighborhoods to carry out their traffic calming desires. 

As it turns out, ONK is first in line to proceed under these new guidelines, and will be watched closely by other neighborhoods to see how successful we are.  Traffic calming proponents have a tough battle ahead.  Where as before, only 50% (plus one) of the ballots had to be returned, and 2/3 of the returned ballots had to state "yes" to get traffic calming, the bar has been raised.  Now, in order to get traffic calming, 75% of the ballots have to be returned from streets with proposed traffic calming (Glenwood, Oklahoma, Scott, Grainger and Anderson), with 80% of these voting "yes."  Neighborhood-wide, 30% of the ballots must be returned, including ballots from the owners of 110 vacant properties in Old North, with 60% voting in favor.  Commercial businesses, including houses and other buildings with more than four apartments, churches, and government-owned property, do not get a vote. Property owners will get one vote for every parcel owned that meets these requirements.  If the owner of eligible rental property does not vote, then the renters, by a simple majority, may submit a single vote for either "yes" or "no." 

		One of the many wrecks that has occurred at the corner of Armstrong and Glenwood, where a traffic circle is proposed.

Complicated enough for you?  These rules did not just get pulled out of a hat... they are based on rules that cities have passed throughout the nation to establish traffic calming.  Thankfully, the ETCDC is going to help us prepare the ballots and count the votes when the ballots come in.  They will keep track of who has not returned a ballot.  All of the fees that ONK paid ETCDC back in 2003 and 2004 go towards helping to defray the costs of paper, printing, mailing, and labor to tally the votes.

It will be very important for us to spread the word among our neighbors about the importance of returning the ballot.  Dave Watson and Bill Cole will be at the Ice-Cream Social on September 1 with a booth to answer questions and to show us a map of where the traffic calming is proposed.  The ballot package will also contain a map and an self-addressed stamped envelope to return the ballot to help encourage people to vote.  Many of us want traffic calming, but it is important for us to know whether this is a popular sentiment neighborhood-wide, which requires getting back 75% of the ballots on the major streets.  We will need your help in October to go door-to-door at the eligible properties that have not returned their ballots.  The final due date for the ballots is November 18.

Thanks in advance for your attention to this matter, and please vote!