Request traffic calming on your Austin street

Short answer

Speeding is the leading factor in Austin's fatal crashes - it drove 24% of them from 2013 to 2017 - and the city runs a formal speed management program for neighborhood streets. The honest news first: this is no longer a petition program where enough signatures win a speed bump. Austin now scores and ranks streets on crash history, prevailing speeds, traffic volume, and community context, and treats the top of the list first. Your lever is the resident request: twice a year, in April and October, the city opens an intake window and accepts up to 60 resident-requested streets per cycle, considered in the order received. On top of that, staff pick another 120 streets a year from crash and street-width data. Eligibility is mechanical: local streets and residential collectors with at least 60% adjacent residential use and under 10,000 vehicles a day. If your street does not make the cut in a cycle, the request does not roll over - resubmit in the next one. Streets that fall outside the criteria get routed to other programs (pedestrian crossing, Vision Zero rapid response, speed display signs), so a no here is not always a dead end.

Who this is for

Austin residents dealing with speeding on a neighborhood street who want the city to study and treat it.

The steps, in order

1. Check eligibility: your street must be at least 60% residential along its frontage and carry under 10,000 vehicles a day.
2. Watch for the intake window: requests open in April and October, 60 resident streets per cycle.
3. Submit early in the window: streets are considered in the order requests arrive.
4. The city collects speed and volume data on selected streets, then scores them citywide.
5. Top-ranked streets become speed management projects after engineering review sets the limits.
6. Not selected? The request expires with the cycle - resubmit in the next April or October window.

Have this ready

• Your street name and the stretch that worries you
• A sense of traffic volume (the 10,000-vehicles-a-day ceiling)
• Timing: the April or October intake window
• One submitter is enough - the form takes a single request
• Patience: rankings update once a year

Common mistakes to avoid

• Collecting petitions. The old signature model is gone; the city scores streets on data now.
• Missing the window. Requests are only accepted in the April and October cycles, 60 each, first come first served.
• Assuming a request rolls over. Unselected streets must be resubmitted next cycle.
• Requesting an ineligible street. Over 10,000 vehicles a day or under 60% residential frontage routes you to other programs.
• Expecting speed bumps on demand. Treatment follows the citywide ranking, not the loudest block.

Common questions

When can I request a speed study?

Twice a year, in April and October. The city accepts up to 60 resident-requested streets per cycle in the order received.

Does my street qualify?

Local streets and residential collectors qualify if at least 60% of the adjacent use is residential and daily traffic is under 10,000 vehicles.

Do I need a petition from my neighbors?

No. Austin replaced the petition model with data scoring: crash history, prevailing speeds, volume, and context decide the ranking.

What happens after I submit?

The city collects speed and volume data on selected streets, scores them citywide, and turns top-ranked streets into speed management projects after engineering review.

My request was not picked. Now what?

It does not carry over. Resubmit in the next intake cycle - and streets outside the criteria may still get help through pedestrian crossing, Vision Zero, or speed display sign programs.

Official source

• Speed Management (Austin Transportation and Public Works)

Checked August 26, 2026. Recheck the official page monthly and when the official page changes.

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