As the population and related motor vehicle travel increases in the Bloomington-Normal area, major roadways and intersections are becoming more congested.  As this occurs, frustrated motorists often resort to the use of local streets to bypass congested roadways or overloaded intersections. Motorists cutting through residential neighborhoods often ignore residential speed limits, particularly when the street design accommodates higher speeds.  The result is an ever increasing number of residents expressing concerns about the "safety" and "livability" of their neighborhoods.

Throughout Bloomington, residents have become increasingly aware and concerned about the negative impact speeding vehicles have on their quality of life.  They view speeding vehicles, cut-through traffic and associated noise and litter as detrimental to their security, property values, and the livability many have worked so hard to achieve.

Residents who live on local streets perceive a danger to children playing outdoors, while others fear increased auto exhaust pollution, road noise, hazards to walkers, joggers and bicyclists.  Such concerns have led to an increasing number of complaints to the Public Works and Police Departments.

To address these types of concerns, the City Manager formed a Staff Traffic Advisory Committee (STAC).  This committee, comprised of members from Public Works, Police, Administration, and McLean County Regional Planning Commission is charged with the responsibility of identifying and addressing problems related to speeding motorists, excessive traffic volume, and safety on local streets.  Under the City of Bloomington Staff Traffic Advisory Committee program, the STAC works with the residents within neighborhoods to identify the types and severity of traffic problems.  The STAC has adopted a procedure for the review and evaluation of neighborhood speeding and related problems.

This process entitled PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATING NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC PROBLEMS, allows residents to become actively involved in the decision making process.  Problems that require traffic calming improvements are also addressed by the STAC.  This program and traffic calming improvements are discussed in great detail elsewhere on this web site.

Traffic Calming Statistics 1998 through 2008  (Includes project locations and statistics)