Speeders in Akron are about to get a not-so-gentle reminder to slow it down. After a run of neighborhood crashes and a steady drumbeat of resident complaints, the city is rolling out a new mix of speed tables and solar-powered radar signs aimed at calming traffic on some of its most problem-prone streets. The goal is simple: make it safer to walk, bike and wait for the bus without feeling like you are standing on the edge of a racetrack.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, City Council signed off on a $500,000 package that will pay for 13 permanent asphalt speed tables across eight locations and 40 solar speed-limit signs on 20 streets. A city news release says the permanent tables are scheduled to go in around late June or early July, with the flashing radar signs to be ordered and installed later in the summer.
Signal Akron reports that the city has been testing temporary speed tables since 2020 and plans to put out about 30 of those temporary units this year while it studies where permanent installations make the most sense. The temporary versions are made of interlocking recycled rubber segments that are bolted and glued to the pavement, and earlier deployments have trimmed driver speeds by roughly 3 to 6 mph while the devices are in place.
Where the tables will be placed
The 2026 list of locations covers a spread of Akron neighborhoods. Sample streets include Aqueduct Street, Gorge Boulevard, Thornton Street, Storer Avenue and Battles Avenue, among others, as detailed by the Akron Beacon Journal. The paper notes that the city’s map shows the traffic-calming devices distributed across different wards so that each area gets at least some relief from speeding.
City records indicate that ordinances authorizing the purchase and installation of the speed tables were approved as part of Akron’s capital program, which sets aside money for traffic-calming projects and digital speed signs. The details on procurement steps and budget line items are laid out in the city’s public meeting agendas and capital-plan documents.
Local coverage has also highlighted some of the worst hot spots. FOX 8 Cleveland points to South Maple Street near Crosby Street as one of the most dangerous stretches in the city, a corridor that Akron leaders have already put on their watch list for extra attention.
What to expect and how long it will take
Before any temporary tables appear outside your front door, the city says it will put up advance signage and send postcards to residents on affected blocks so no one wakes up to a surprise bump in the road. The solar-powered signs will also log speed data, which officials plan to use to decide where permanent traffic-calming devices should ultimately land. As Signal Akron explains, temporary locations typically stay in place for several months, after which crews either convert a site to permanent speed tables or pull the devices up in the fall.
For neighbors who think their street deserves a closer look, Akron’s traffic-calming program takes requests through the city’s planning offices and the capital-plan process. The city’s documents show that picking locations involves a mix of council members, engineers, school officials and the regional transit agency. Residents who want updates or want to push for their block to be studied are encouraged to reach out to their ward councilmember.
