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Douglas Cowty Public Works - Neighborhood'CrafFic Mitigation $ Calming <br />http://www.douglas.co.us/DC/PublicWorks/trallic calming.htrn <br />police car. No one drives just to adhere to the highway code. <br />• My conclusion is that no matter the County policy, any change in behavior will be hard-fought, <br />small and expensive. It is an illusion to believe any change can occur in a whole system through an <br />external influence, like the "traffic calming" techniques now being adopted by some jurisdictions <br />without addressing the rest of the problems. In the case of traffic on residential streets in Douglas <br />County, it will be difficult for me to justify any major effort given the lack of need. I do however, <br />believe the cust of accidents is so high that even if we make only a small impact, the County is <br />better in the long run, therefore, we should not just give up. <br />Counri Resoonsibiliri <br />You will notice that in the report by Carter & Burgess, Inc., all of the programs for strategies are <br />grouped into three categories: <br />Education <br />Enforcement <br />Engineering <br />The actual reason for using these three categories is that, together, they cover two main views of <br />governmental responsibility. <br />• One view says that the driver is placed in a position he cannot control. Our biology and evolution <br />is not advanced enough to make the right decision every time. So roads and vehicles must be <br />designed to be as forgiving as possible, because we all make mistakes. In practice, what this logic <br />means is that if the driver is not fully responsible, then government must take more responsibility <br />and a whole series of regulations, laws and controls logically follow. <br />The other viewpoint is a higher standard. It says individuals should accept full responsibility for <br />control of what is in effect a potential lethal weapon. If society allows you to drive, you will be of <br />good character, mature, and drive in a safe manner just in case the unexpected happens. Under this <br />scenario, it is then society's responsibility to support, train and educate the driver to hold up his <br />end. If he doesn't, then society should take away his/her right to drive. <br /> <br />In reality, there is support for both philosophies. Regazdless of philosophy, what should be <br />important is what works. <br />Engineering <br />In general, Douglas County's current Design and Construction criteria have been effective in <br />limiting speed and "cut-through." We know this because of the safety record and number of <br />localized traffic studies we have performed. <br />Enforcement <br />• The County curcently owns three radar speed trailer units, and are using them with high frequency. <br />The Sheriff's Department has been extremely aggressive in traffic enforcement, and is issuing more <br />than double the number of tickets from just two years ago. However, no change in driver behavior <br />5 oC6 9/15/00 g:20 AM <br />