Report: Austin traffic calming techniques reduce speeding

State of play: 60 people have died in car crashes in Austin so far this year, down from 79 deaths during the same period last year.

• Austin has recorded 8,085 crashes through Oct. 23, down from 9,123 through this time last year.

What they found: The report, "Speed Management in Austin," looked at how traffic calming features such as speed cushions, mini-roundabouts and pedestrian crossing islands, along with lower speed limits, have improved safety since 2020.

• Vehicles traveling at least 10 mph over the speed limit fell 78% at locations with added traffic calming features.
• Lowering speed limits reduced high-end speeding by 14% and led to 17% fewer crashes involving death or serious injury.
• Crashes involving death or serious injury fell 39% on residential streets after Austin approved a 25-mph default speed limit on hundreds of miles of streets.

What they're saying: "Even where measured speed reductions are modest, they represent meaningful decreases in the frequency of the most dangerous speeding behaviors," according to the report's authors.

Flashback: The City Council authorized lower speed limits along 73 segments of high-speed arterial roadways in 2020 and 2022.

The bottom line: Traffic calming techniques are slowing traffic — and leading to fewer crashes.