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SAVE LIVES WITH 25
Mayor speaking on Save Lives with 25 Save Lives with 25 In December 2021, City Council voted to reduce the speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour on any street where a specific speed limit is not posted. This change will go in effect on July 1, 2022.






The City of Knoxville is accepting applications under the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP).

The City of Knoxville is proud to be able to provide traffic calming for city streets that qualify. This is a neighborhood-centric program and its success relies on the participation and cooperation of residents living on the street(s) applied for. This is a program that may or may not be funded annually.

Please read the NTSP Program Guide [PDF] before filling out the application.

For questions please contact Hayley Howard at 865-215-2113 or  [email protected] or Steve King at 865-215-4993 or [email protected].

Download the Application [PDF]. This is a fillable PDF document. Save the file to your computer and fill it out, saving it as you go. When done, please print the document and obtain the required written signatures.

If you would like for the application and guidelines to be mailed to you, please contact Hayley Howard at 865-215-2113 or [email protected]

SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION

You can scan and email the application to Hayley Howard at [email protected].

You could also mail the completed application and any attachments to NTSP / Office of Neighborhood Empowerment / City of Knoxville / P.O. Box 1631, Knoxville, TN 37901. Or you can hand deliver it to the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, Room 546, City County Building, 400 Main Street. 

Make sure to keep a copy of everything you send to the city.

There is no deadline for submitting applications. This is an open-ended process.

Once an application is submitted, it is then sent to an internal committee for review. The committee is made up of staff members from the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, Transportation Engineering, Knoxville Police Department, Knoxville Fire Department, Knoxville Area Transit, and Public Service. Every application received must be approved by the internal committee to move forward in the program.

NTSP PROCESS SUMMARY
1. ONE Receives Application
2. Internal Committee Reviews
3. Kick-Off Meeting
4. Applicant Gathers Petition Signatures
    Must be on our form 
    Do more than 50% approve? If yes, move to the Speed Study
5. Transportation Engineering Conducts a Speed Study
    Is the threshold met for a Concept Plan? If yes, move to Concept Plan
6. Concept Plan Created
7. Concept Plan Meeting
    Plan is presented to the neighborhood.
8. Contracts Out for Bid 
    Goes before City Council.
9. Construction
    Generally takes place Spring-Fall.
10. Post-Construction Evaluation
      Takes place about a year after traffic calming has been installed.


This process can take anywhere from 6 months to 2+ years to complete. The time is takes for an applicant to get through the NTSP process depends on a combination of factors including but not limited to:
- resident participation and cooperation
- available funding 
- size of traffic calming project
- neighbor objections
- what time during the year the applicant obtains the necessary approvals to move forward to construction


Experience in other cities has shown that traffic safety initiatives that are implemented without involving the neighborhood are frequently unsuccessful, and therefore citizen participation is a key component of this program's success.


The NTSP can involve one or more of the following elements (in no particular order) in each neighborhood that applies for the program. This depends on the unique needs of each neighborhood that applies.

Education: Using information and tools supplied by the City, a neighborhood can engage in a neighborhood-centric, neighborhood-run campaign to make drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists more aware of speeding.
Enforcement: A police officer may be dedicated to speed enforcement in four hour blocks for two to four weeks at a time on a rotating basis. (KPD is currently understaffed, and this might not be possible currently.)
Engineering: Depending on the individual neighborhood situation, the City makes route modifications or installs one or more traffic calming measures such as speed humps and speed cushions.

MEETINGS AND PETITION SIGNATURES

Some applicants may not know how to approach neighbors and hold meetings about an issue of common concern. For tips on engaging neighbors and holding meetings, see the “Reaching Out to Neighbors” section of the Education Toolbox page. ONE Staff can also help with suggestions on this as well.

**PLEASE DO NOT BEGIN GATHERING PETITION SIGNATURES UNTIL AN APPLICATION HAS BEEN SUBMITTED AND APPROVED BY THE INTERNAL COMMITTEE.

The following are not a part of this traffic calming program; however, they can be reviewed by Transportation Engineering by calling 311 (865-215-4311):
- stop signs
- cross walks
- side walks
- intersection changes
- speed limit signs
- lowering speed limits
- road markings

Speed humps are primarily what are installed through this program due to the limited amount of funds. If a project is larger, it may take longer to get completed. 

BACKGROUND

The NTSP has been developed by Transportation Engineering, the Knoxville Police Department, and Office of Neighborhood Empowerment in response to numerous concerns and complaints voiced by citizens who witnessed speeding vehicles in their neighborhoods. 

An early draft of the Program Guide was released in May of 2016. City staff took comments via email, phone, public meetings, and an online survey. Here are these comments, minus names and identifying information:
Comments Received Via Email [PDF]
Online Survey Comments, Part 1 [PDF]
Online Survey Comments, Part 2 [PDF]
Public Meeting Comments [PDF]

Here is the City's response to representative comments and questions selected from the above documents.