Are Traffic Calming Solutions Legal on HOA Roads?
It’s a question we hear all the time from HOAs and gated communities. They’re concerned about the safety of their streets. But they also want to make sure they are acting
within the law. Is a private community allowed to install traffic safety solutions without getting legal approval? Can they create their own safety plan and implement it without input or authorization from local authorities?
Private Roads, Private Decisions
Roads that are privately owned, as those in an HOA or gated community are, are privately regulated. Practically speaking, that means that jurisdiction lies with the residents and community board. So, the decision is yours and your residents regarding how, what, when, and where you’d like to protect your roads. Unlike city roads, where residents need to get approval before installing speed display signs or speed humps, you’re free to decide how to improve safety on your HOA roads on your own.
That means your local board can research, brainstorm, and make your own decisions about how to enhance safety and reduce speeding and the risk of dangerous crashes on your roads. Whether you’d like a radar speed sign to alert speeding drivers and remind them to slow down, speed humps to physically slow cars down, or speed cameras to warn speed violators, the decision is yours to make. And with Traffic Logix, all your devices can speak to the cloud and integrate with your existing ecosystem so you can analyze data and make better informed decisions on how to protect your HOA roads.
The Exception to the Rule
While your private community is under your private jurisdiction, there is one exception when the decision on how to keep streets safe isn’t yours to make. That’s when your decision will affect the public. If one or more of your streets is a primary response route for emergency vehicles, you may require approval from your local fire department before installing solutions. After all, once your streets affect public safety, you need to ensure that nothing stands in the way of emergency intervention.
Generally speaking, local fire departments will have no qualms about speed cameras or speed display signs being used
to remind residents to slow down on your HOA roads. In the case of physical traffic calming devices, however, like speed humps, they may be unlikely to approve anything that will slow their response time. That’s why we offer recycled rubber speed cushions, which are a series of small speed humps installed across the width of the road.
Reducing Speed and Tolerating Speed
Speed cushions slow cars down just as effectively as speed humps do. However, the space between the cushions allows the wider wheelbase of fire engines and ambulances to drive right over them without slowing down. They’re the perfect combination of speed reduction along with speed tolerance. They reduce speeds for ordinary vehicles while tolerating high speeds from emergency vehicles.
Ready to slow cars on your private HOA roads? You don’t need to wait for approval! Get in touch with us today and get the materials and information you need to present at your next board meeting. Fill out the form on the right and one of our traffic safety experts will give you the guidance you need to begin the journey toward safer streets.
