EDIT: Changed the point at which the city sends a letter to speeders from 20 mph over the speed limit to 20 percent over the limit.

With frustration over speeding in their neighborhoods, West Seattleites had an opportunity to meet with Seattle Department of Transportation associate civil engineer Jane Rebelowski on Nov. 17 as the first step in slowing down traffic.

Each month SDOT holds a Neighborhood Traffic Calming meeting for residents of non-arterial streets, generally at different libraries throughout Seattle. The Nov. 17 meeting was held in the West Seattle Library meeting room and about 15 residents showed up to begin the process of slowing drivers down.

And showing up is a required first step, Rebelowski said. SDOT requires that at least one representative from the block show up for a monthly meeting where they sign up for further information in SDOT’s two phase process of slowing drivers down.

After attending the meeting, people are sent an enrollment form and must get the signature of five other houses on their block before SDOT will move forward, Rebelowski said.

Once the signatures are in, Phase One of the Traffic Calming Program begins. Rebelowski will give a volunteer from the block a radar gun to perform a two hour speed study. The resident performing the study is also asked to write down license plate numbers of cars speeding at least 20 percent over the limit. Those plates are run to find a mailing address for the vehicle and a letter (not a fine) is sent to the address from the city asking them to slow down in the future.

“Quite often after a radar study, people are surprised at how slow people are going,” Rebelowski said.

She said the letters are most effective with teenage drivers because the cars are usually registered to a parent, leading to an uncomfortable conversation for teens with a disgruntled parent.

Based upon the results of the speed study, SDOT decides whether to move forward with more educational speed reduction tactics such as placing a speed watch trailer on the street, installing yard signs reminding drivers to slow down, painting pictures on the pavement of intersections (which SDOT says “may help slow traffic in your neighborhood by making drivers aware that this is a socially organized neighborhood) and asking everyone in the neighborhood to park on both sides of their street to narrow the driving lane, which usually slows people down, Rebelowski said.

“I’ve even got little articles on waving to your neighbors or people driving by, how that actually helps,” she said. “A stranger driving by, all the sudden they think they know you and they slow down and they start acting more respectfully. You know there are all these weird little head games you can play on people that just get them, most of them, to slow down.”

If phase one doesn’t stop or slow the speeding problem, Rebelowski said neighborhoods may be eligible for phase two: the implementation of physical traffic calming devices such as traffic circles, chicanes (bulbs in the curb at certain sections of the road to create a narrow, winding section), speed humps or chokers (bulbs in the curb on both sides of the road).

Rebelowski said although physical changes are effective, there are certain drawbacks and restrictions.

Traffic circles and speed humps cannot be placed on emergency routes, for example, as they slow down police and firefighter response time.

Speed humps cannot be placed on steep roads, sometimes promote aggressive driving between the humps, create noise and can cause pain for drivers with neck or back pain and chicanes take out a significant stretch of road parking, she said.

Traffic circles at intersections have become a popular solution for slowing traffic on residential streets, and Rebelowski said there is a point system to determine an intersection’s need based on number of collisions reported, results of the speed test and amount of traffic.

For more information on SDOT’s Traffic Calming Program and a schedule of upcoming meetings, visit http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/ntcp_calming.htm.

The Traffic Calming Program is for non-arterial roadways only, and Rebelowski said people living on arterials should visit http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/ntcp_arterial.htm .