Speed Cushions
What Is a Speed Table? Meaning, Size & Detail
Cojo
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A speed table is a flat-topped raised crossing in the roadway, typically 22 feet long with two 6-foot ramps and a 10-foot flat top, sitting 3 to 4 inches above grade. It slows passenger cars to 18 to 22 mph while letting buses, fire engines, and ambulances cross with minimal delay. The Federal Highway Administration's Traffic Calming ePrimer Module 3.3 defines the device, and the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Traffic Calming Manual, Chapter 3, sets the dimensional standards.
A speed table consists of:
The defining feature is the 22-foot total length. Vertical-deflection devices shorter than 22 feet are speed humps (12 to 14 feet) or speed bumps (1 to 3 feet). Devices longer than 22 feet move into ITE's "raised intersection" or "neighborhood traffic circle" categories.
Speed tables emerged in northern Europe and the UK in the 1990s as a traffic-calming device that preserved transit-bus operating speeds. Speed humps and speed bumps slowed buses to 8 to 12 mph, adding 6 to 10 seconds of delay per device, which was unacceptable on streets that were also bus routes.
The speed table solved the conflict by spreading the vertical deflection across 22 feet of pavement. The longer ramp lengths produced gentler grade changes that buses could cross at 18 to 22 mph without uncomfortable jolting. Bus delay dropped to 2 to 4 seconds per device. Passenger cars still slowed because the device length forced sustained deceleration.
The Federal Highway Administration imported the device into US practice in the late 1990s and codified it in the Traffic Calming ePrimer.
Three primary jobs:
Speed tables are the most pedestrian-friendly vertical-deflection traffic-calming device because the 10-foot flat top elevates the pedestrian crossing into the driver's sightline.
| Use case | Why tables fit |
|---|---|
| Residential streets on bus routes | Bus delay stays under 4 seconds per table |
| Mid-block pedestrian crossings | Flat top carries marked crosswalk |
| School zones | Doubles as student crossing |
| Neighborhood greenways | Vision Zero priority corridors |
| University campus interior streets | Pedestrian + transit + EMS all at once |
| Historic districts | Brick-inlay design integrates with streetscape |
| Hospital campus loops | EMS-friendly traffic calming |
For dimensional detail see speed table dimensions, and for engineering background see how do speed tables work.
| Device | Length (travel) | Speed reduction | Bus delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed bump | 1 to 3 feet | 35-50% (parking lots only) | 8-14 sec/device |
| Speed hump | 12 to 14 feet | 22-40% | 6-10 sec/device |
| Speed cushion | 6 to 7 ft per segment | 20-30% (with fire-access gaps) | 2-4 sec/device |
| Speed table | 22 feet | 22-35% | 2-4 sec/device |
A raised crosswalk is a speed table with a marked pedestrian crossing on the flat top, governed by MUTCD Section 3B.18 for crosswalk markings and Section 3B.26 for advance warning. The geometry is identical to a standard speed table; the difference is the marked crossing on the flat top and the additional pedestrian-priority signage.
Raised crosswalks combine traffic calming with pedestrian visibility. Drivers approaching a raised crosswalk slow because the device is a speed table, then experience the marked crosswalk at low speed with elevated pedestrian sightlines. Pedestrians benefit because the elevated crossing places them in the driver's eye line earlier.
The ADA Standards section 403 cross-slope and running-slope limits apply to the crosswalk on the flat top, the same as for any other accessible route.
| Material | Lifespan | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Asphalt (parabolic) | 12 to 18 years | Default residential design |
| Asphalt (sinusoidal) | 10 to 15 years | Bus and EMS corridors |
| Brick or paver inlay | 20 to 25 years on inlay, 8-12 on ramps | Historic districts |
| Concrete | 25 to 35 years | Industrial and hospital service roads |
| Modular rubber | 7 to 10 years | Pilot programs, removable installs |
Yes. All Tier 1 Oregon cities (Portland, Salem, Eugene, Springfield) have included speed tables in their residential traffic-calming program menus. Tier 2 cities (Bend, Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Corvallis, Albany, Medford) approve tables on a case-by-case basis. Tables are commonly paired with marked crosswalks on streets with significant pedestrian traffic.
Eugene Public Works has been a particularly prolific user of speed tables on its neighborhood greenway network. Portland Bureau of Transportation pairs speed tables with marked crosswalks on Vision Zero priority corridors.
In April 2025 Cojo installed three sinusoidal-profile asphalt speed tables on a Eugene neighborhood greenway. The neighborhood association's traffic-calming application specified speed tables (rather than humps or cushions) because the corridor carried Lane Transit District (LTD) bus service and an Eugene-Springfield Fire Department primary response route. Post-install radar speed studies confirmed 85th-percentile speed reduction from 31 mph to 21 mph; bus delay measurements stayed under 3 seconds per table.
Always verify current requirements with your local jurisdiction. This article reflects May 2026 published guidance.
Cojo provides speed table installation across the Oregon I-5 corridor. We coordinate the city traffic-calming application packet, field survey, paving, traffic control, and pavement marking in one scope. See the speed tables guide for the broader product context, speed table dimensions for spec detail, and how do speed tables work for engineering background. For Portland-area installs see Speed Table Installation Portland or pair the install with our asphalt maintenance services. Get a custom quote.
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