CINCINNATI — Cincinnati started installing its first permanent "speed cushions" in the city on Monday.
The cushions are concrete structures that look like a larger speed bump in the road. The first permanent cushion is being installed by crews on Linn Street in the West End.
The city had been testing temporary cushions since September 2021 on Winneste Avenue, where neighbors said speeding was a big concern.
The cushions proved to be effective in slowing cars down. After the speed cushions were installed, only 11% of drivers went faster than the speed limit, according to the city, compared to 95% of drivers before the cushions were installed. It dropped the average speed from 37 to 20 miles per hour.
“We really walked into a pedestrian safety crisis and while we're not out of the woods yet, no one's spiking the football,” said Mayor Aftab Pureval. “We made a commitment to it and our dollars, and our rhetoric, and our action. It feels really fulfilling that that work is bearing fruit."
The mayor said the community was very adamant that Linn Street was putting our kids' safety at risk, and something needed to be done.
“We've been patient and now we're glad to see that it's here in particular in front of our recreation center,” said Keith Blake, former president of West End Community Council.
Blake said the cushions were installed in an area where a West End resident was killed.
"Hundreds of kids are traveling back and forth between this area everyday between Hays-Porter elementary and the recreation center," said Melissa McVay with the Department of Transportation. “So, we're very happy to see that the city's being responsive and appreciated.”
The concrete speed cushions will last more than 30 years.
City officials said while the speed cushions are helping, they are just a piece of the puzzle.
"All of these little things add up in order to make our neighborhoods safer, this is just one element of it," said city councilmember Mark Jeffreys.
Throughout the year, 22 more streets are slated for construction of speed cushions.
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