Cleveland is testing a number of different methods to slow down speeding drivers on city streets.

City residents have long voiced concerns about motorists speeding down residential streets, said Calley Mersmann, Cleveland’s senior strategist for transit and mobility.

 “It is also really important in terms of safety on our roads: The faster the speed, the more likely it is to result in more serious injury and death,” Mersmann said.

In Cleveland, 72 people died in traffic-related incidents in 2021, and 41 as of Nov 27, 2022.

In addition to city efforts, some residents have also taken matters into their own hands through street painting projects.

“Just a feeling of empowerment for the community that has had the biggest impact for us,” said Tiffany Andreoli, a Slavic Village resident who worked with a group of neighbors to paint bright colors on curbs at intersections in an effort to slow down speeding vehicles. “If something’s not going well, if we don’t feel safe, we can get together and think of creative, neighbor-based solutions.”

One method not used on public streets in Cleveland are speed bumps, which are narrow and rounded. They are the most abrupt method of traffic calming. Speed bumps are often found in shopping centers, parking lots and other private property to slow drivers down to 5 miles per hour.

Click the orange icons in the interactive graphic below to learn about some traffic-calming methods. Trouble viewing on mobile? Click here.

Interactive graphic illustrations by John G of Shiner Comics.