News & Updates
Paving the Way: How One Neighborhood Partnered with OKC for Safer Street
Summary
Paving the Way: How One Neighborhood Partnered with OKC for Safer Streets: Sidewalks & Speed Humps
Hey neighbors!
If you’ve traveled down NW 36th between Penn and Classen recently, you may have seen some big changes, as crews work to install sidewalks and speed humps.
The sidewalk installations are an effort from the City of Oklahoma City, the MAPS initative and the Better Streets/Safer City bond and the speed humps are a collaboration between the city of OKC and the neighborhood, Putnam Heights Neighborhood Association, working hand-in-hand with the City’s Public Works Department.
These improvements aren’t just about concrete and asphalt; they’re about creating a safer, more connected neighborhood for all to enjoy while also highlighting the cost-sharing programs available to neighborhoods.
While many communities have benefited from the City’s Sidewalk Repair and Replacement Program, MAPS 3 has completed 54 miles, and Better Streets/Safer City has completed 28 miles for a total of 82 miles with more to come with MAPS 4. Click here to see the active pedestrian projects map (zoom in to see the sidewalks) which shows all the sidewalks that are currently funded, being designed, under construction, and recently completed.
Additionally, the newly installed speed humps in Putnam Heights are made possible through the Alternative Speed Abatement Program (ASAP). Updated in 2023, ASAP gives residents a voluntary opportunity to pay for half of a speed hump while the city funds the other part; the goal is to empower neighbors to address traffic speed concerns within their community boundaries. Speed abatement tools, like these speed humps, are an alternative to adding stop signs or requesting speed enforcement; in fact, studies nationwide have shown that speeds within a block of the stop sign are largely unaffected by the signage.
To qualify for ASAP, the street must be public and located near homes, apartments, or a public institution like a school, library, or hospital; and identified in PlanOKC as a neighborhood street, connector street, or industrial street.
Speed humps are one of five calming measures available, and the Oklahoma City Public Works Department lays out six “essential mandatory steps from start to finish” for participation. They are:
- Determine whether your street qualifies for the ASAP program
- Decide if a speed hump is the appropriate abatement alternative
- Discuss the speed hump and ASAP with your neighbors
- Deliver the program participation application to public works
- Demonstrate the local support from your neighborhood for the speed hump (ASAP administration staff will help your neighborhood determine whether petitions or letters of no objection are needed based on the location)
- Deposit the matching funds with the City based on the materials and construction costs
At the end of the day, whether a neighborhood chooses to take part in one or both of these cost-share opportunities, ASAP is another way neighbors throughout Oklahoma City can advocate for safer, more active communities in the present and future!
More information on ASAP, including a copy of the application, can be found on the city’s website.
