If your neighbors or your HOA are discussing speeding, careless driving or other traffic problems on your street, get involved so that the right traffic calming solution is chosen. Speed bumps are a poor choice, since they slow fire trucks and ambulances, damage cars, make snow removal difficult, increase maintenance costs and increase noise.

If speeding is the issue on a street, a stop sign at a junction may seem like a smart idea. Occasionally, it may be. However it isn't every time depending on the street itself, its layout and the general flow of traffic. When a street is peppered with stop signs, drivers will most likely speed up between them, which causes a traffic hazard. They know they must stop shortly, costing them time, so faster driving between the signs could be regarded as a way to make up for wasted time.

Many drivers also have an inclination to stop at a single stop sign encountered after a reasonably long stretch of road, but roll thru stop signs that are a block or two apart. Drivers are often impatient and in a rush to get where they're going. This "rolling through" can be seen as a way to make up lost time, as well.

Both of theseâ€"faster driving between signs and rolling through themâ€"are potential accident risks. Crosswalks at stop signs may give pedestrians a sense of safety that definitely does not exist if many drivers rush up to the sign or roll through it. And if drivers sense the stop signs should not even be there to start with, both these behaviours are much more likely.

Deadly intersections where accidents have occurred, where visibility is poor or where other issues cause problems are generally good choices for stop signs or stop lights. But to slow traffic on streets when stop signs actually aren't required, radar speed signs are a superb choice. These show the drivers' speeds back at them, and typically lead them to slow down.