4600 Block of Hillside Rd. SE

The Issue: Residents in Southeast’s Benning Ridge neighborhood are a bit befuddled about speed humps that seem to have magically appeared on a number of streets.  They may be necessary to calm traffic, but some are concerned the city's not going through the proper channels—getting permission from residents, conducting a traffic study—before installation.

According to a D.C. Department of Transportation application (2002), requests for a traffic calming study must be initiated by the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission with the approval of 35 percent of households on the block. DDOT conducts the study and renders its verdict: to calm or not to calm.

Where Did They Come From?: Ben Thomas, who sits on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7E, says the commission has approved speed humps in only two locations: the 1100 block of 46^th Street SE and the 1100 block of 44^th Place SE.  But other humps, in the 700 block of Burns Street SE and the 4200 to the 4500 block of Hillside Road SE, have since popped up, leaving him scratching his head. “Speed humps are necessary, but they need the proper approval. No studies are being done. They just seem to appear overnight,” says Thomas. He adds that some residents have concerns that the humps are too high—DDOT says they are supposed to be 3-4 inches high and 10-14 feet across.

Sloooooow Dooooown: John Lisle, of DDOT, says the city is not required to have the commission’s approval for installation of a traffic-calming device. “We do pledge and give the residents an opportunity to voice their concerns. We attend community meetings and give great weigh to what the residents say, but we’re not necessarily required to have an ANC Commission approval."

Despite the obstacle course feel of her neighborhood, Benning Ridge resident Shante’ Moore likes the humps. “It was annoying to me at first, but it slowed me down,” she told City Desk. “I’m all for it, especially since there are a lot of kids that live in this neighborhood.”

What’s Next?: There's not much else to do but put on the brakes.

Photograph by Tiffany Browne

Speed Up: ANC Commissioner David Engel says, "The humps are massive, and a huge traffic diversion. You can't go more than five miles an hour." He is also irked that an invited DDOT official shunned a recent ANC meeting at which the issue came up. He maintains that it's mainly the "rich and powerful on the block" that want the speed bumps, rather than the whole community. "Certain people want their own urban village," he says.

Slow Down: John Lisle, spokesman for DDOT, says that speed humps must be approved by 75 percent of the block—and that happened—but the process has been streamlined and no longer requires a traffic report. In terms of construction, he said, "ANC approval is not required." Also, it is unclear whether the ANC provided opposition early enough in the process.

Next Step: In that recent meeting, the ANC requested the speed humps be removed pending the collection of data; it also wants an oversight hearing on the entire process.