Manteca’s elected leaders may reduce the “red tape” in the process needed to clear the path for speed lumps.

Speed lumps are vertical traffic calming devices intended to slow traffic speeds on low-volume, low-speed roads that are typically in neighborhoods.

They are 3 to 4 inches high with a ramp length of up to 6 feet that effectively reduce speeds down to 5 to 15 mph to cross them.

They have been installed on residential streets such as Daniels Street, Mission Ridge Drive, and Hacienda Drive that have been plagued by speeding.

The streets generally are long with stop signs and have become shortcuts for some drivers to get around Manteca.

The City Council when they meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. is being asked to approve updates to the Manteca Traffic Calming Program adopted in 2018.

 The significant change in the program is the reclassification of certain traffic calming measures, such as speed lumps, from Stage 2 to Stage 1 of the Traffic Calming Process.

The adjustment simplifies and speeds up implementation by reducing administrative steps, allowing interested neighborhoods to benefit from the safety advantages of speed lumps much sooner.

The program remains community driven for existing city streets.

Requested traffic calming measures require neighborhood consensus and approval from properties fronting the improvements.

 The steps to obtain neighborhood consensus are as follows:

 *Step 1: Project Initiation - Report the problem and submit request form

*Step 2: Resident Petition

*Step 3: List of Traffic Calming Requests

*Step 4: Traffic Calming Measures

*Step 5: Implementation and Assessment

The city has also started conditioning residential projects to install speed lumps where they anticipate streets will likely turn into shortcuts and be subject to speeding.

When Quaterra builds its 818 housing unit project straddling Atherton Drive east of Main Street, the firm will be constructing a missing segment of Buena Vista Drive between where it is stubbed at Atherton Drive and a point north of Grafton Street.

It’s because common sense points to motorists in the future trying to use Buena Vista Drive to avoid periods of heavy traffic on South Main Street.

 Quarterra is also installing traffic signals at Buena Vista and Atherton.

A previous developer also foresaw the possibility of Buena Vista being eventually used as a shortcut.

It is why the city’s largest roundabout covering an acre that doubles as a low-key park was built where it intersects with Catmint Street north of Woodward Avenue.

Buena Vista runs along the western side and much  of the southern edge of Woodward Park and then curves further south for eight plus blocks where it is stubbed.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com