DPW HWYS Shelley F assigned this issue to DPW HWYS Traffic

Thank you for submitting your request to the Howard County Department of Public Works\Traffic Engineering Divison. Our staff will investigate this issue and respond.

Speed Humps are designed to provide an elongated pavement rise that is designed to allow vehicles to travel over them safely at or below the posted speed. The current speed hump detail T-6.01 is included in Howard County Design Manual Volume IV (https://www.howardcountymd.gov/public-works/resource/howard-county-design-manual-volume-iv), To qualify for consideration of the community speed hump program, there are initial criteria and conditions which must be satisfied:
a. There must be a minimum of 1200 vehicles and a maximum of 4000 vehicles per day on the road. This includes all traffic in both directions during the 24-hour period.
b. The 85th percentile speed measured must be equal to or greater than 10 MPH over the posted speed limit of 25 MPH or 30 MPH, but no more than 45 MPH. The 85th percentile speed (operating speed) is the speed that 85% of the drivers are traveling at or below.
c. A road must have more than 50% residential frontage (direct driveway access) and be classified as a local street or minor collector.
d. The roadway section under consideration must be equal to or greater than 1200 feet in length and must not exceed a 6% grade.
e. The roadway shall NOT fall within an Automated Speed Enforcement School Zone.
Should the roadway meet conditions (c), (d), and (e), data will be collected and assessed for traffic volumes and speed. If all the above criteria are met, the community may move forward with forming a Traffic Action Committee (TAC) to work with a DPW Traffic Engineer in the development of a layout plan for TAC presentation at a community meeting for community vote. Typically, the households that must drive over a proposed calming device to enter or exit their residence would be included on the voting list, with one vote per household by property owner. There must be a 2/3 vote in favor of the calming plan for installation of traffic calming.
Harmel Drive qualified for the speed hump program and the TAC worked with DPW and community to develop and eventually selected the current layout of the humps. A request of the change of the current speed hump layouts will have to follow the exact procedure above and receive 2/3 or more votes in favor of the changed plan for adjusting the hump layouts.
Please contact our office at (410) 313-2430 or traffic @howardcountymd.gov if you would like to formally request a speed hump relocation plan and will be forming the TAC.