The Memphis City Council wants the administration to consider letting affluent neighborhoods pay for their own traffic calming devices, if the street qualifies.
This morning, during the council’s CIP budget committee, council members learned citizens have requested street humps for roughly 250 streets. The current policy does not let individual groups pay for them, even if they want to do so.
“We looked at it from a fairness [standpoint],” said Wain Gaskins, director of the city’s engineering division. “There are some affluent areas that could pay for their traffic calming devices, but we have a lot of other areas that aren’t as affluent but are just as deserving.
“We thought it would be appropriate not to let people buy their way into the program.”
The policy is created by the administration, but traditionally changes have been approved by the council.
