Greenville County recognizes the importance of neighborhood safety. Unfortunately, neighborhood speeding is an ever growing problem. The traffic calming program allow residents to request speed humps for their street to alleviate neighborhood speeding. Minimum qualifications, determined by engineering study, must be met for speed humps to be installed.

Minimum Qualifications are based on the policy adopted by County Council in August 2008:

1. The road must be at least 1000 feet long.
2. The road must have < 8% grade.
3. The road must be classified Residential (Not Collector)
4. The road must be entirely maintained by Greenville County.
5. No study has been performed within the last 2 years.
6. Subdivision must be 80% complete (if applicable).
7. Must meet 1 of the following Average Daily Traffic (ADT) and 85th Percentile Speed Requirements. (The 85th Speed is the Speed at which 15% of the traffic is traveling at or above.)
• If the 85th speed is 15 MPH over the posted speed limit (PSL), the volume must > 600 vehicles per day (vpd)
• If the 85th speed is 10 mph over the PSL, the volume must be > 675 vpd
• If the 85th speed is 9 mph over the PSL, the volume must be > 800 vpd

IF ALL QUALIFICATIONS ARE MET: The County will install humps if 75% of the residents on the Street and 25% of the residents on any adjacent Streets are in favor of the humps, by petition.

IF ANY 1 QUALIFICATION IS NOT MET: The Street does not qualify for humps, but it can be reevaluated again in 2 years. Alternatively, you can request "Slow Down for Safety" signs and the speed radar unit at no cost.

IF THE MINIMUM VOLUME IS NOT MET: But all other qualifications are met, humps are allowed. However, your neighborhood would need to provide alternate funding for the humps. The petition process will be the same.

• Traffic Calming Application
• Traffic Calming Process Flowchart
• Traffic Calming Policy

Traffic signals within the Greenville City limits are owned, installed and maintained by the City of Greenville. All other signals within the Greenville County are owned, installed and maintained by the SCDOT. If you are unsure, we will be happy to assist.

Stop signs are the most widely used and misused of all traffic signs. They are intended to assign right-of-way at intersecting street locations. Many believe multi-way stops will reduce speeding and other safety problems in neighborhoods. However, national research proves unwarranted stop signs result in drivers ignoring the sign, increases in accidents, additional speeding and increased driver delay.

Therefore, The Federal Highway Administration created the minimum criteria used to determine the need of a multi-way stop are:

• Volume of traffic on the intersecting roads is approximately equal
• Main street vehicular volume (total of both approaches) at least 300 vehicles per hour for any 8 hours of a typical day
• Combined vehicular and pedestrian volumes of at least 200 units per hour for the same 8 hours
• Problems with sight distances
• Substantial accident history

Multi-Way Stop Control Application

National research proves 85% of drivers travel at the speed they are most comfortable. This is known as the 85th percentile speed and it is typically used to establish speed limits.

Additionally, 25 mph is the lowest speed Greenville County will post. This is based on national research which confirms this is the slowest speed a driver can travel without having to "ride the brakes". Therefore, raising or lowering speed limits is only warranted by engineering study. Typically, roads shorter than 1000 feet or when road curves and hills do not allow for do not need speed limit signs because their length does not allow vehicles to exceed speeds before having to slow down at the end. Additionally, when possible, speed limit signs along with ASTN are posted at entrances to cove a network of roads. This eliminates additional installation and maintenance costs as well as eliminates excessive signing within the neighborhood. Additional speed limit signs can be installed at the expense of the HOA or neighborhood, but they must meet Federal size and reflectivity guidelines as outlined in the MUTCD.

Speed Limit Evaluation Form

Greenville County only provides traditional green road name signs. The County does not install or maintain any overhead street name signs, highway shields or accompanying directional signing for any official highway. These requests should be directed to the SCDOT.

Advisory speeds are on yellow backgrounds and are mounted below warning signs. They suggest a safe speed to negotiate the upcoming condition and are typically lower than the posted speed limit. Enforcement of advisory speeds can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, however you could be cited for exceeding the advisory speed and / or held liable in the event of an accident.

National research shows drivers automatically adjust their speed in accordance to obvious road conditions. Therefore, Warning signs should only be used in situations where the change in condition is unexpected or not obvious to the driver. Warning signs should only be installed at the discretion of the County Traffic Engineer.

“Children at Play” type warning signs are no longer recognized by the Federal Highway Administration as they may encourage children to play in the street and parents to be less vigilant. Drivers often misinterpret the sign to mean children are present only where signs are located, whereas the presence of children should be assumed within any residential area. These type signs may also imply the street is an approved play area, which may result in liability. Therefore, “Child at Play,” “Autistic Child,” “Blind Child,” “Deaf Child.” Etc., signs should not be used for the following reasons:

• The signs do not describe where the child might be
• The signs do not provide guidance to motorists for a safe speed
• The signs do not provide a legal basis for determining what a motorist should do
• The signs are not enforceable
• The signs act as a roadside obstacle to pedestrians and errant motorists
• The signs no longer attract the attention of motorists after initial installation
• The signs have no legal meaning or legal enforcement
• The signs provide parents and children a false sense of security
• The signs are often left in place after the child is grown or moved away
• The signs have no impact reducing speeds and are proven ineffective

Greenville County does not own, install or maintain any street lighting. This service is provided by your power provider. Check with your Home Owners Association or refer to your power bill for the responsible agency’s contact information.

Greenville County does not regulate on-street parking because our department does not have the authority to determine where residents can and cannot park. Therefore, parking regulations are typically developed and enforced by your Home Owners Association. If you do not have an HOA, the county will only intervene if the parking practice is a safety hazard (obstructs emergency vehicle access, atop of a sidewalk, obstructs a stop sign, etc.) rather than a nuisance.

It is common for heavy growth obstruct clear sight distance and signs. If the vegetation is located on private property, Greenville County will contact the owner and give them time to correct the issue. If it is not corrected within a given timeframe, Greenville County will trim the vegetation as necessary.

Greenville County does not regulate vegetation obstructing the sight distances when exiting your driveway. In this case, we encourage you to approach your neighbor or HOA concerning this matter.

SCDOT – Engineering	241.1010
SCDOT – Maintenance	241.1224
City of Fountain Inn Public Works	409.3334
City of Greenville Traffic Engineering	467.4360
City of Greer Public Services	848.2184
City of Mauldin Public Works	289.8904
City of Simpsonville Public Works	967.9531
City of Travelers Rest Public Works	834.9029

• American Traffic Safety Services of America (ATSSA)
• Federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
• Standard Highway Signs
• SCDOT Street Finder
• SC Access and Roadside Management Standards (ARMS) Manual
• SC Code of Laws
• SC Flaggers Handbook
• SC Work Zone Safety Handbook