Speed cushions are black rubber devices installed in the street. They have a break in the middle to allow emergency vehicles to straddle them.

Some residents in two neighborhoods near Spicewood Springs Road are hoping to relay concerns about speed cushion installation in Northwest Austin to the Austin Transportation Department.A meeting with residents of the Mountain and Balcones Village/Spicewood neighborhoods is set with the department at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Balcones Country Club, 8600 Balcones Club Drive, Austin.Speed cushions are installed based on resident request. The Austin Transportation Department received requests to install cushions on Clearock and Cedar Crest drives near the Balcones Golf Course. Speed cushions are black rubber devices that have a break in the middle to allow emergency vehicles to straddle them, according to the department.Streets in the neighborhoods that already have speed cushions include Spicewood Parkway in December 2015, Topridge Drive and Ashton Ridge.In a survey of Mountain neighborhood residents, 92 percent reported they did not like the speed cushions on Spicewood Parkway, and 97 percent did not want any more cushions installed in their neighborhood, according to the neighborhood association.In Balcones Village/Spicewood, 95 percent reported they do not like the speed cushions, according to the neighborhood association.The neighborhoods reported that comments from residents noted the cushions are jarring and cause drivers to swerve into the oncoming traffic lane or bike lanes.After hearing about the resident survey, the transportation department suggested a meeting to gather more resident input, according to the neighborhoods.Some residents plan to ask the transportation department to remove speed cushions on Spicewood Parkway and not to install new cushions on Clearock and Cedar Crest. The Balcones Village/Spicewood HOA has not taken a stance on the installation of the speed cushions, according to the HOA.