Speedy drivers: Akron Mayor Shammas Malik wants you to slow down.

After fielding a litany of complaints — including in neighborhoods — Malik’s administration is continuing an initiative it hopes will help curb aggressive driving within the city limits.

The City of Akron this month will install 30 temporary speed tables and 40 additional solar-powered speed limit signs — for a total of 80 speed limit signs that flash a driver’s speed to them. A permanent speed table location on South Maple Street (near Wybell Court in Ward 1) is also being piloted, as part of the city’s Traffic Calming Program.

Consider it a rubbery mix of deterrents.

“Speeding is consistently ranked as one of the number one concerns of Akron residents in their neighborhoods,” Malik said in a press release, with the city receiving more than 600 requests for traffic calming last year.

Mitigating speeding in Akron's residential areas.
A solar-powered speed limit sign flashes the speed of cars driving along South Firestone Boulevard on Monday, May 6, 2024, in Akron’s Firestone Park neighborhood. The City of Akron will begin installing temporary speed tables and additional solar-powered speed limit signs aimed at mitigating speeding in residential areas. (Kassi Filkins / Signal Akron)

What’s the difference between speed bumps and speed tables? While both limit the speed at which vehicles travel, speed tables — also known as speed humps — are longer and flatter, allowing an entire wheelbase to cross over it simultaneously.

Speed tables placed mid-block across roadways also enhance pedestrian safety.

Akron’s speed tables consist of interlocking pieces made from recycled rubberized material. They are bolted and glued into place on street surfaces. 

The city has installed temporary tables in residential neighborhoods since 2020, the release stated, leading to a speed reduction when speed tables are present of 3 to 6 mph. Last year, 11 speed tables were installed across the city, with one in each ward except for Ward 1, which received two.

The solar-powered speed limit signs will collect speed data as vehicles pass, helping city engineers decide which thoroughfares need speed-control intervention.

Locations for tables and signs were selected based on resident requests, appropriateness of the streets and in coordination with City Council, city departments and roadway users such as METRO RTA and Akron Public Schools.

To place a street in consideration for the Traffic Calming Program, visit this link: www.akronohio.gov/trafficcalmingrequeStreet. To provide feedback on an existing location, take the survey here.

Locations of speed tables that will be installed in May by the City of Akron.
Locations of speed tables that will be installed in May by the City of Akron. (Map via the City of Akron)

Streets that will receive a temporary speed table this year include:

Ward 1: Hall Street and Kuder Avenue
Ward 2: Chapman Drive (2)
Ward 3: Thornton Street (2)
Ward 4: Elmdale Avenue (2)
Ward 5: Clark Street (2) and Lover’s Lane (2)
Ward 6: Shelburn Avenue (2) and Alaho Street (2)
Ward 7: Hammel Street (2)
Ward 8: Winhurst Drive (2) and North Pershing Avenue (2)
Ward 9: Battles Avenue, 12th Street, and 6th Street (2)
Ward 10: Wyandot Avenue, Mohawk Avenue, and Goodview Avenue (2)

Signage will be posted to warn drivers about the speed tables and postcards were mailed to residents on each street. Temporary locations will be installed throughout the next month, the release stated, and will remain until the fall when they will be removed.

Streets that already have solar-powered speed limit signs include:

Ward 1: Aqueduct Street (2), North Rose Boulevard (2), North Portage Path (2)
Ward 2: Gorge Boulevard (2) and Dayton Street (2)
Ward 3: Princeton Street (2) and Raymond Street (2)
Ward 4: Dorchester Road (2) and Hartford Avenue (2)
Ward 5: Kelly Avenue (2) and North Howard Street (2)
Ward 6: Hilbish Avenue (2) and Cramer Avenue (2)
Ward 7: East Archwood Avenue (2) and South Firestone Boulevard (2)
Ward 8: Thurmont Road (2)
Ward 9: Carey Avenue (2) and 13th Street SW (2)
Ward 10: Congo Street (2) and Ruckel Road (2)

Streets that will be getting solar-powered speed limit signs include:

Ward 1: Crosby Street (2) and Edgerton Road (2)
Ward 2: Fouse Avenue (2) and Breiding Road (2)
Ward 3: Kenmore Boulevard (2) and Cedar and Exchange Street
Ward 4: South Rose Boulevard (2) and Delia Avenue (2)
Ward 5: Johnston Street (2) and South Street (2)
Ward 6: Albrecht Avenue (2) and George Washington Boulevard (2)
Ward 7: Thornapple Avenue (2) and Cole Avenue (2)
Ward 8: Sand Run Road (2) and Merriman Road (2)
Ward 9: East Avenue (2) and Hancock Avenue (2)
Ward 10: Newton Street (2) and Tonowanda Avenue (2)

Editor-in-Chief (she/her)
Zake has deep roots in Northeast Ohio journalism. She was the managing editor for multimedia and special projects at the Akron Beacon Journal, where she began work as a staff photographer in 1986. Over a 20-year career, Zake worked in a variety of roles across departments that all help inform her current role as Signal Akron's editor in chief. Most recently, she was a journalism professor and student media adviser at Kent State University, where she worked with the next generation of journalists to understand public policy, environmental reporting, data and solutions reporting. Among her accomplishments was the launch of the Kent State NewsLab, an experiential and collaborative news commons that connects student reporters with outside professional partners.