A speed table is a flat-topped raised pavement section, typically 22 feet long — 3-foot ramps at each end, 16-foot flat plateau in the middle — built to slow vehicles to 20 to 25 mph. Tables are gentler than humps, gentler than cushions, and let buses ride the flat at full service speed without rocking the cabin. They sit at the top of the calming hierarchy for routes that need calming AND need to preserve transit, freight, and emergency-vehicle ride quality. Below: the engineering, the use cases, and the design specs.
What is a speed table?
A raised section of pavement built as 3 feet of approach ramp, 16 feet of flat plateau, and 3 feet of departure ramp, with a total length of 22 feet and a height of 3 to 4 inches at the plateau. A passenger car climbs the ramp, rides the flat at the design speed (20 to 25 mph), and descends the departure ramp. The vertical pulse on the suspension is gentler than a hump because the climb and descent are gradual.
Why do speed tables exist?
Tables solve the bus-route calming problem. A bus traversing a speed hump rocks meaningfully and lifts standing passengers; a bus traversing a 22-foot speed table rides flat once it climbs the entry ramp and feels nearly nothing across the plateau. The Federal Highway Administration's Traffic Calming ePrimer treats tables as the primary calming device for bus-route corridors and any street where transit comfort matters.
How Are Speed Tables Different from Speed Humps?
| Variable | Speed hump | Speed table |
|---|---|---|
| Length (travel direction) | 12 to 14 ft | 22 ft total (3 + 16 + 3) |
| Height at peak | 3 to 4 in | 3 to 4 in |
| Profile | Parabolic | Trapezoidal (ramp-flat-ramp) |
| Design speed | 15 to 20 mph | 20 to 25 mph |
| Bus impact | Moderate | Low |
| Material | Mostly asphalt | Asphalt, brick-inlay, or concrete |
| Cost per unit | $2,000 to $5,000+ | $5,000 to $15,000+ |
How Are Speed Tables Different from Speed Cushions?
| Variable | Speed cushion | Speed table |
|---|---|---|
| Footprint | 6 to 7 ft (split into segments) | 22 ft (continuous) |
| Bus impact | Lower (most buses straddle) | Lowest (buses ride flat) |
| Fire-truck delay | 1 to 3 sec/cushion | 2 to 4 sec/table |
| Wheel-track gaps | Yes | No |
| Best for | Fire-access routes | Bus routes, mixed transit |
Where Are Speed Tables Used?
Five primary use cases.
1. Bus routes
The original use case. TriMet, LTD, Lane Transit, and Cherriots routes can ride 22-foot tables at full service speed without lifting standing passengers or jolting seated riders. The Oregon DOT transit-friendly calming guidance treats tables as the default for bus corridors that need calming.
2. Mid-block residential corridors
Tables work well on long residential corridors with a mix of traffic. The 25-mph design speed matches most posted residential limits, the gentler ride generates fewer complaints than humps, and the wider footprint is harder for drivers to swerve around.
3. Architectural / aesthetic streets
Brick-inlay tables (asphalt body with decorative brick on the plateau face) are common in historic neighborhoods. Portland's downtown and some Old Town corridors use brick-inlay tables both as calming and as visual treatment.
4. Drive-thru and customer-pickup lanes
Wider tables (sometimes 30 ft or longer) work as combined slow-speed approach plus stopping platforms. A drive-thru window with a table approach holds customer-vehicle position more reliably than a flat-pavement approach.
5. Pedestrian-priority intersections
A table at an intersection turns the entire crossing into a raised pedestrian platform. The speed table vs raised crosswalk reference covers when to combine the two.
Speed Table Dimensions and Specifications
| Variable | Recommended | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total length (travel direction) | 22 ft typical, 24 to 30 ft variants | ITE Traffic Calming Manual |
| Approach ramp length | 3 to 6 ft (per design speed) | FHWA |
| Flat plateau length | 14 to 22 ft | ITE |
| Height at plateau | 3 to 4 in | FHWA |
| Profile | Trapezoidal (ramp-flat-ramp) | ITE |
| Material | Asphalt, brick-inlay, or concrete | Property choice |
| Marking | Yellow chevrons on ramp faces | MUTCD W17-1 |
Types of Speed Tables
Asphalt cast-in-place
The most common type. Crew mills the existing pavement, places hot-mix asphalt to the table profile, screeds the plateau flat, ramps the edges, and compacts to grade. Lifespan 7 to 10 years on parking lots, 5 to 7 years on residential streets.
Brick-inlay
Asphalt body with brick veneer on the plateau face. Common in historic neighborhoods and architectural-priority districts. Higher upfront cost (roughly 1.5 to 2x asphalt-only), but the visual is part of the streetscape investment.
Concrete cast-in-place
Niche use. 12 to 20-year lifespan but harder to modify. Common on hospital-campus drives and high-volume HOA entrance roads.
Modular rubber
Less common for tables than for cushions because the larger footprint makes modular hardware impractical. Some manufacturers offer 22-foot rubber tables for private-property installs where future removal matters.
Marking and Signage Requirements
Per MUTCD Part 2C:
- Yellow chevron pattern on each ramp face (6-inch stripes)
- W17-1 (HUMP) advance warning sign placed 100 to 200 feet ahead (some jurisdictions use a custom TABLE sign)
- W17-1P advisory speed plaque showing the design speed
- Reflective markers at the plateau edges and ramp transitions
- HUMP advance pavement marking 50 to 100 feet upstream
For raised-crosswalk variants, add the standard pedestrian crossing marking on the plateau.
How Effective Are Speed Tables?
Effectiveness data from the FHWA CMF Clearinghouse and the ITE Traffic Calming Manual:
- Passenger-car speed reduction -- 5 to 7 mph (about 70 percent of an equivalent hump)
- Bus delay -- 0 to 2 seconds per table
- Fire-truck delay -- 2 to 4 seconds per table
- Volume reduction -- 5 to 15 percent on the calmed segment
- Crash reduction -- 8 to 12 percent
Tables trade about 2 mph of passenger-car speed reduction for 5 to 8 seconds of bus-delay savings per device. On any bus-route corridor, the trade is worth it.
Cojo's Eugene Greenway Speed Table Install
In April 2026 Cojo installed a 22-foot asphalt speed table on a Eugene neighborhood greenway corridor that carries an LTD bus route. The corridor needed calming (city Vision Zero priority) but a hump or cushion would have produced unacceptable bus-rider impacts. Pre-install 85th-percentile speeds were 27 mph; 60-day post-install measured 21 mph. LTD bus drivers reported no service issues.
Get a Speed Table Quote
If you are a transit agency, traffic engineer, HOA board member, or property manager evaluating tables, Cojo can provide a free site review. See the speed cushions guide for the cushion comparison, speed cushion vs speed table for the cushion-table decision, speed table vs raised crosswalk for the crossing-combo decision, speed table installation in Portland for a local example, or asphalt maintenance services for the install scope.