Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program

The Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP) is a product of joint efforts between the Police Department's Traffic Unit and the City's Traffic Engineering Division for the purpose of addressing neighborhood traffic concerns relating to vehicular speeds on residential and collector streets. The goal of the NTSP is to improve neighborhoods by reducing the negative impact of traffic in residential neighborhoods or by increasing the awareness of what is reasonably expected in residential neighborhoods through education. In either case, these actions promote safe and pleasant conditions for all users of local streets.

Residents with traffic concerns should contact one of the following:
Officer Thomas Foxworthy
Officer Bruce Reed
Neighborhood Traffic Officers, (913) 971-5081
OR
Keith Bredehoeft
Traffic Engineer, City Of Olathe, (913) 971-8539

The Program and How it Works
The program is managed by the Police Department's Traffic Unit in cooperation with the Traffic Engineering staff. This partnership is unique because other programs are generally operated by either the traffic engineers or by Crime Prevention Units with little interaction or coordination between the two.

Both the Police Traffic Unit and the Traffic Engineering office have assigned one officer/engineer who is responsible to develop and operate the program under the respective direction of the Traffic Unit Supervisor and the Traffic Division Manager. Formal quarterly meetings and other meetings as needed are held to address specific issues and to update each department on the activities and recommended adjustments related to the program.

Citizen's access to the program is obtained through a 24 hour voice mail hotline, city web-site, or direct phone contact with the Traffic Unit or Traffic Engineers office. Once a traffic concern is received into the program, a traffic study is conducted to determine the existence and/or extent of the problem. Depending on the outcome of the preliminary investigation, one of three courses of action is pursued; Education, Enforcement, and Engineering. In any case, staff still reviews the area to insure that it is properly signed.

After any action has been taken in any of the three areas, a post traffic study is performed to determine the impact of actions. Depending on the results of the study, additional action may be required in any or all of the three areas. Some areas where problems persist, but not qualify for geometric modifications, may qualify as "Neighborhood Traffic Enforcement Zones". These areas have permanently placed signs advising drivers of the area status and increased fines if stopped for speeding in that area.

The program has been adopted and supported by the City Council and represents a unique cooperative effort of two normally separate departments trying to accomplish the same goal - neighborhood safety and an increase in the quality of life.

The Three E's of Neighborhood Traffic Safety
Education: Radar Trailer, Neighborhood Newsletters, Yard Sign Program, Web-Site, Government Access Channel, High School Newspapers, Radar Loan Program;
Enforcement: Assigned enforcement areas are conducted by all officers of the Traffic Unit, Scheduled return enforcement of completed program areas, Random enforcement of areas with a low volume of violators;
Engineering: Review area of signing, Review area for atypical circumstances, Implement "traditional" approaches first, Hold public meetings for geometric modifications to the street, Research new traffic calming methods.