A sneckdown (or snowy neckdown) is a buildup of snow on a road that has not been flattened and cleared by traffic, particularly at an intersection. Because it marks where traffic does not go, a sneckdown may reveal where traffic calming measures such as curb extensions or narrower lanes might be safely implemented. [1]
The term "sneckdown" was coined by Streetsblog founder Aaron Naparstek in 2014, [2] [3] popularized by Streetfilms director Clarence Eckerson, Jr. and spread widely via social media. [4] Other Twitter hashtags that have been used to describe snow-based traffic-calming measures include #plowza, #slushdown, #snovered and #snowspace. [5]
The practice of using snow to trace the behavior of vehicles, pedestrians, and playing children was already described in Camillo Sitte's 1901 urban design treatise. [6]
In the 1980s, some planners in Australia distributed cake flour in intersections to observe patterns of vehicle movement hours later. [5]
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States at Baltimore and 48th Street, a sneckdown-inspired permanent upgrade to the pedestrian environment was made in 2011. [7]
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