In a recent government meeting, officials discussed the traffic calming application process utilized by the Department of Transportation (ENDoT) in Nashville. The process involves a comprehensive data collection and scoring system based on five key criteria, which are weighted to assess the need for traffic calming measures on residential streets.

The scoring system allocates 45% of the total score to vehicular speeds, with a focus on the 85th percentile speed—meaning that 85% of vehicles are expected to travel at or below this speed. For Nashville, the target speed for residential streets is set at 25 mph. In the case of Warfield Drive, which was highlighted during the meeting, the measured 85th percentile speed was recorded at 30 mph, indicating that 15% of vehicles exceeded the target speed.

Volume of traffic accounts for 25% of the score, with Warfield Drive experiencing an average of 3,700 vehicles per day. Additional criteria include non-driver accommodations (10% of the score), which consider the presence of sidewalks and other transportation modes, as well as historical data on vulnerable user injuries and fatalities (10%) and proximity to trip destinations such as parks and schools (5%).

Warfield Drive ranked among the top 25 streets out of approximately 500 evaluated, leading to its selection for traffic calming measures. The street, located between Hillsborough Pike and Lone Oak Road, is characterized by its narrow width of 21 to 23 feet and the absence of sidewalks, which further emphasizes the need for enhanced safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists. The meeting underscored the importance of addressing traffic safety in residential areas, particularly in light of the data collected over the past decade regarding pedestrian and cyclist injuries.