The City of Knoxville has released the draft Program Guide for a new Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP) and is looking for public comment on the proposed program, which is expected to launch this coming summer.

Developed jointly by the Engineering Department, Police Department and Office of Neighborhoods, the NTSP is a comprehensive approach to neighborhood concerns about speeding. For qualifying neighborhoods, the program will include enforcement, education and/or the use of a wide range of traffic calming measures, including but not limited to speed humps and traffic circles.

To view the Program Guide and Program Flow Chart, visit: http://knoxvilletn.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server_109478/File/Engineering/Traffic/NTSP%20Program%20Guide.pdf.

“Speeding on residential streets is a very real concern for the safety of children, pedestrians and bicyclists,” noted David Massey, who heads the Office of Neighborhoods. “This is one of the top complaints we receive in city government, and we are glad to propose a program that will address those complaints in a more systematic and meaningful way.”

Neighborhood leaders and others concerned about speeding are asked to study these PDF documents and then provide comments in one of several ways during the rest of May.

Public meetings, with identical presentations, will be held at the following times:

• Thursday, May 12 – 5:30-7 p.m., O’Connor Senior Center, 611 Winona St.
• Monday, May 16 – 7-8:30 p.m., West High School, 3300 Sutherland Ave.

Citizens may also take an online survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Neighborhood_Traffic_Safety.

Those without Internet access may obtain hard copies of the Program Guide and the survey by calling David Massey at 865-215-3232. Hard copies will also be available at the public meetings, but citizens are asked to bring their own copies if possible.

Comments about the draft plan may also be sent to traffic.calming@knoxvilletn.gov or to Steve King, Deputy Director of Engineering, City of Knoxville, 1400 Loraine St., Knoxville TN 37921.

City staff will review all public comments and consider changes and additions to the draft program wherever possible. A launch date is tentatively anticipated during the month of July. The City will not accept applications until the program is officially launched. Updates can be checked by visiting the website – http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/trafficsafety.