Speeding on select streets in Manteca such as Mission Ridge Drive is down.
It is thanks to strategically placed traffic calming devices, which in the case of the “unofficial shortcut between Union Road and Main Street, are speed lumps.
“Police officers can’t be everywhere,” Manteca Police Chief Stephen Schluer said.
Schluer noted traffic calming measures such as roundabouts, chicanes (yellow plastic bollards), speed lumps, pedestrian bulb outs at intersections near schools, narrowing travel lanes by putting in place Class 2 bicycle lanes, and even strategically placed medians can slow traffic.
The speed lumps are appearing everywhere in Manteca as residents clamor for slower traffic on residential streets that were either designed as collector streets of have morphed into unintended shortcuts between major arterials.
It is even the case in the county.
Demetri Filos, working with his neighbors as well as San Joaquin County Supervisor Robert Rickman, got speed lumps in place last year on a stretch of Tininin Road south of Woodward Avenue that is adjacent to the city limits.
City housing growth had been sending more traffic down the road, often well in excess of the speed limit, creating safety issue for residents coming out of driveways and impacting the quality of life overall.
City Manager Toni Lundgren indicated while speed lumps can be expensive — depending on the location they can cost between $10,000 and $20,000 due to variables — but are worth the investment in terms of public safety.
And while the city is not deploying traffic calming devices to replace officers, it is an effective step way to improve traffic safety and reduce the severity of collisions when they happen.
Traffic calming measures are considered passive ways to address speeding while enforcement is viewed as a way of educating people by essentially hitting them in the pocketbook.
The Manteca Police had an authorized dedicated five-member traffic enforcement unit. That includes three officers and a sergeant. Due to staffing issues related to injuries with patrol officers, the remaining position is currently vacant.
That said, the city two years ago increased the traffic unit to five officers — after it was reduced to three officers during budget cuts in 2010.
The city in 2010 had 67,096 residents compared to 97,000 today.
The cost of adding a police officer is $200,000 plus when all payroll costs are factored into the equation. It is an ongoing reoccurring cost.
If the city spent $200,000 in one time money in a year on traffic lumps, that would translate into 10 or so neighborhood streets where speeding concerns can be addressed.
Overall, the city has 83 police officers.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
