Mayor hits the gas on speed bumps in D.C.

WASHINGTON - If it feels like your trip around town is getting a little bumpier, it is.

Since Adrian Fenty became mayor in 2007, the number of speed bumps in the nation's capital has jumped from 157 to 691. The Fenty administration has authorized twice as many speed bumps in 2 1/2 years as the Williams administration authorized in five.

From 2001 to 2005, the District's Department of Transportation installed approximately 50 speed bumps. Since 2007, DDOT has installed 534 of the traffic calming devices. There are no plans to slow down the process.

The growing number of speed bumps puts the District on top when it comes to the average number of bumps per mile in the D.C. region. Based on the number of speed bumps and the total miles of local roads, the District averages about one speed hump for every 1.5 miles.

In Montgomery County, drivers encounter a speed bump about once every 2.2 miles. In Fairfax County, it's virtually bump-free with an average of one bump in every 14.5 miles.

Before Fenty was elected, residents who wanted speed humps on their streets had to wade through a cumbersome process that could take months or even a year.

DDOT spokesperson John Lisle says the process "has been streamlined."

In the past, the agency would require a traffic study be completed for every request. Now, residents simply have to get the majority of their neighbors to sign a petition.

Lisle says the reason for the change is to promote pedestrian safety.

"Safety for pedestrians, residents, workers and visitors is always a top priority. The District has long supported speed bumps in neighborhoods as a means to provide traffic calming. With the streamlined process we are now able to fill requests more efficiently."

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