Traffic Calming means a safer neighborhood

		A traffic circle, like the one above, is one of the most popular traffic calming devices.  Several are planned for Old North on E. Scott, W. Glenwood, and Grainger because those streets are wide enough to handle them at their intersections. Traffic humps were proposed for E. Oklahoma because the street is not wide enough at its intersections. A raised intersection is planned for E. Anderson as a way to discourage speeding and cut-through traffic on that street. Traffic calming devices work best when a variety of them are used in a neighborhood.

By David E. Booker

Old North Knoxville is a neighborhood regaining its charm and wonder house by house, street by street. In addition to revitalized homes, the neighborhood and the city are working to turn two vacant lots on Oklahoma into a small urban park. In addition, there are new-old homes filling in other vacant lots on Grainger and Oklahoma. Even apartment buildings, such as the one on Luttrell Ave., are getting makeovers. 

There is much to admire; yet there is still much to do. Among those things is traffic calming. Old North is not the only neighborhood in Knoxville to face this problem, but it is a problem that members of the neighborhood have been working on for over three years. For a year-and-a-half of that time, the city has also looked at the problem citywide, and has developed a process for all city neighborhoods to follow. 

The ballots and map showing the traffic calming plan for Old North Knoxville are this neighborhood’s attempt to deal with this growing problem. Today, Grainger and Glenwood each handles around 2,000 cars a day, many of them cut through traffic, drivers looking for a speedy route through instead of around our neighborhood. With the multi-year Interstate construction going on around us, this is a problem that will only get worse. If nothing is done, the number of cars will only increase on Grainger and Glenwood, as well as E. Scott, E. Oklahoma, and E. Anderson to name just a few other streets. We are all affected by this issue.

The plan before you is not perfect, but it is a plan based upon getting the greatest affect with the least number of devices. It is a plan developed with help from the city’s traffic engineering department, with input from the police and fire departments, and is based on what can and can’t be done. There were also three advertised public neighborhood meetings seeking input and comments from residents. Information has been and is posted on the neighborhood web site, www.oldnorthknoxville.org. There has been information and updates in Old North News. At the recent Ice Cream Social, there was information about the plan and a sample ballot.

Now is the time to vote. I urge you to vote for the plan. Even if your street has no traffic calming devices planned for it, it is important that you vote and vote for the plan. Not only will it help the neighborhood overall, but now that the city has a process in place, it will allow Old North to apply for additional devices, should they be needed. In other words, success now will help all of us should something need to be done to your street later. So, vote for the traffic calming plan. It is a important step toward making Old North Knoxville the place to call home.

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