Radar Speed Displays Go Up In Clinton, MO

Wanted to share a nice Facebook Post from the Clinton Daily Democrat (Click here).  Here’s to a safer year ahead for drivers and pedestrians and an increase in walkable routes to school in 2012.

Which speed display is most effective at slowing cars?

It’s clear just from looking at them, that all radar speed signs are NOT created equal. Some, for instance have bigger displays or brighter lights. Some are white with yellow LEDs while others are yellow with white LEDS. So the important question arises, does the design of a speedcheck sign have an effect on its ability to slow cars?

We’re finding an increasing amount of evidence that suggests it certainly does. It all comes down to the radar speed signs’ credibility – some simply look more official than others. The more official it looks, the more respect it commands from drivers. And with voluntary enforcement tools such as radar speedcheck signs, commanding respect is the name of the game.

Part of a speed displays’ official look is certainly associated with standards. Some signs are MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) compliant, while others are not. MUTCD covers a wide range of standards from font size to color and while drivers may not be familiar with the actual code, they have come to intrinsically recognize “official” signs from those that are not.

But choosing a sign that is MUTCD compliant is just the start. There are design issues that go beyond compliancy that effect the speed displays’ effectiveness. The brightness of the LEDs and the number/size of the individual lights, for instance, can make a huge difference.  In some speed displays, the numbers and letters appear as large individual “dots” rather than as a more fluid line. We find the “dotted” displays result in a less official – less effective sign. The same holds true for lettering and numbering that are off-center to the signs’ background black, are crooked, two small or two big or are simply dull at a distance.

There are a lot of other issues involved in radar speed signs design that can affect their durability, versatility and effectiveness. From vandal resistant features and the use of quality parts that determine the dependability of the equipment, to LED positioning and programmable options that increase safety and adaptability. But as you head out onto the roadways this holiday season, take a closer look at the radar speed signs in your own neighborhood. Do they look official and command respect, or do they look like a fast fix with little authority behind their posting? Then, if you have a chance, watch the brake lights of cars as they approach the signs. You can bet which signs will command the driver respect required to get them to use their brake.

Since around 1997, SRTS has been hard at work evangelizing the positive aspects of having our children walk or bicycle to school. More importantly, they have been working directly with communities across the nation to make streets safe for pedestrians and promoting the positive aspects of walking/riding instead of being chauffeured to school. In 2005, Congress dedicated funds (about $600 million) towards SRTS that is being used for both infrastructure projects and non-infrastructure activities. A recent report shows that since first being funded, more than 10,400 U.S. schools across all income levels have participated in Safe Routes To School Programs.

Information Display Company first came into contact with Safe Routes to School in 2009 through Feet First, a regional affiliate that has promoted the principles of SRTS throughout Washington State. At that time, Information Display Company had donated several radar speed signs for use in the organization’s Walk and Roll Month events. This included a host of activities designed to encourage both children and parents in the Seattle area to walk together to school rather than drive. The radar speed signs were used effectively to slow traffic and increase pedestrian safety along some of the more busier routes.

During my conversations with Feet First volunteers, I heard some pretty intriguing statistics that I have often thought of while passing through a school zone. It turns out that about 25 percent of morning traffic in Washington State is made up of parents driving their children to school. More harrowing is the fact that half the school children hit by cars in school zones are actually hit by parents of students at the same school.

I also learned that slowing down just a little bit can make a big difference when an accident does occur. A study a read found that only five percent of pedestrian accidents resulted in fatalities when the cars were traveling 20mph or less. This number jumped to 40 percent when the cars were driving 30mph and 80 percent at forty mph.

So as the new school year begins, let’s support the healthy habit of walking and biking to school and be particularly cautious when driving around school zones. If you forget to check your speed, chances are growing that a radar speed sign will be nearby to remind you.

The purpose of this blog is to share the latest information and thoughts about traffic calming and safety technology and we’ve had some great discussions on various related topics.  So is it ok to get excited about our own products when they do really well in the marketplace? I can’t help it. Information Display Company puts so much thought and effort into designing and manufacturing the best traffic calming displays made, we get excited when our products and services continue to get industry acclaim. 

We recently introduced a speed trailer that was really a game changer. Editorial coverage of the SpeedCheck DuraTrailer confirmed it’s revolutionary place in an area that has been stagnant for so long.  And when I learned about how the SpeedCheck radar speed sign rose above competitive products during a city evaluation, and how that city has really embraced these speed displays for their ability to improve school zone safety, I couldn’t help but share the info with everyone. 

The city of Stamford Connecticut recently purchased ten new radar speed signs to support their ongoing school safety initiatives. That brings the total number of city-owned speed displays to thirty-four. They soon hope to have enough radar speed signs installed along their various school zone routes to slow cars around each of their twenty public school buildings.

Stamford bought their first radar speed sign about nine years ago, after conducting field testing on several different models. They ultimately chose SpeedCheck speed displays manufactured by Information Display Company. According to Veera Karukonda, Signal Systems Engineer for the city of Stamford, the SpeedCheck signs were chosen for several reasons.

“A comparative analysis found that the SpeedCheck sign provided the best construction and most visible display among those we tested,” said Karukonda. “The size, shape and design of the SpeedCheck display created the most official looking sign among the test group and it offered many of the features we were looking for. We were also impressed with the dedicated service that we received from Information Display Company.”

In the past, the city’s team of signal engineers had to manually open and adjust each radar speed sign when upgrades or scheduling changes needed to be implemented. Now each of the signs includes Bluetooth wireless technology that lets the engineers make firmware upgrades and scheduling changes from the comfort of their car. The city also invested in Information Display Company’s DisplayManager™ system that, when in operation, will allow city engineers to monitor, adjust and control each sign from one central office location.

Each of the radar speed signs are installed along with two flashing warning lights; one above and one below the speed display. Both the sign and the flashing lights are connected to the SpeedCheck sign’s built in scheduling program. During school hours, the lights automatically begin to flash and the speed signs remind drivers of their passing speed. Most importantly, the radar speed signs refocus driver attention away from various distractions and back on their own driving behavior.

In a recent study conducted by Safe Kids USA, one in six drivers traveling through one of several active school zones was observed in a state of distraction. According to the accompanying report, statistics show that even small distractions can dramatically increase the chance of an accident. 

If you’ve had experience with SpeedCheck speed displays or any other radar speed signs or if you’ve tried other traffic calming strategies, I’d love to hear about it. What worked for you and what didn’t?

In a 2008 study conducted by the Texas Transportation Institute, radar speed signs topped the list of safety devices tested in short-term maintenance work zones. The speedcheck signs not only provided the largest speed reduction among the various traffic-calming methods reviewed, but workers reported that when mounted onto a trailer, the installation and removal of the signs was reasonable for even short-term work zone projects.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation first began using radar speed signs in work zones several years ago. Originally embraced by the department’s metro area maintenance crews, the electronic displays helped keep traffic moving at a safe speed while workers filled potholes. As the effectiveness of the speedcheck signs became clear, demand for their use spread. Today, Mn/DOT has expanded the deployment of radar speed signs to include use in construction sites, on ongoing maintenance projects and for other hazardous work zone applications.

“We often mount a radar speed sign along with an arrow board to the tail gate of one of our trucks,” said Marvin Sohlo, work zone standards engineer for MnDOT. “When we use the radar speed signs, it’s easy to observe the break lights come on. On a multi-lane highway, we’ve found average speeds are typically reduced by 8 to 10 miles per hour.”

Reducing speed is a critical issue for those concerned with work zone safety. According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) nearly 1,000 people are killed and more than 40,000 injured each year as a result of motor vehicle crashes in work zones. The majority of these cases involve excessive speeds.

“It’s estimated that more than 20 percent of our national highway system is currently under construction,” said Gary ODell, president of Information Display Company, a leading U.S. manufacturer of radar speed signs. “That equates to about 3,000 work zones on U.S. highways alone. You can add thousands more when you include work being done on public streets, around construction sites and on public works projects.”

Tad Blanton is the field operations supervisor for Medford, Oregon Public Works. He manages four crews that work year round on every type of public works project from underground maintenance to structural repairs, paving and concrete work. Concerned with worker safety, he attended a demonstration of a portable radar speed sign presented by IDC, and then signed up for a three-week free rental program.

“Providence brought the radar speed sign to us just when we needed it,” said Blanton. “We were about to begin work on a storm drain repair along the intersection of a busy four lane thoroughfare. We placed the sign about 350 feet before the work. The crew that I had out there said that the difference the display made was absolutely unbelievable. I knew are traditional warning signs wouldn’t of had nearly the same effect.”

In cities across the country, getting local governments to respond to traffic-calming issues can be difficult even during the best of times. It becomes even more difficult when times are tough and municipal funds are short.

There is hope however. Neighborhood groups and private citizens from San Jose, California to Brooklyn, New York are finding strategies that are getting the attention of their local representatives. Whether you’re looking to install a speed bump, erect a speedcheck radar speed sign or just get the police to monitor traffic during peak hours, here are a few tips on how you can increase your chances of being heard.

1.  Join a group. Look to see if there is already an existing sympathetic neighborhood organization you can join. Government reps are much more likely to listen to an established group than to a single individual. There are also federal traffic safety grants that are only available to civic groups and other established organizations.  aaaaa

2.  Create your own group. If there isn’t already an audience for your cause, create one. A good place to start would be existing clubs with sympathetic ears – perhaps bicycle riders, school moms or retail shop owners. 

3.  Get on the web. Starting your own blog or social network site is easy to do. They provide a perfect platform for expressing your concerns and a great way to enlist the help and support of others. Your blog or Facebook page will not only be visible to fans, but can also be shared with local reporters and government officials. As the number of participants and grows, so do your chances of getting heard by those that can make a difference. 

4.   Local programs. Most cities have comprehensive programs in place for evaluating and choosing traffic projects to attack. Processes for selection are usually well defined by city officials, so know the rules and see what you might be able to do to get to the top of the priority list.

5.   Apply for a grant. There are three types of grants generally available for traffic safety programs.  Federal grants, State grants and private grants. Thanks to the Internet researching these options is fairly easy to do. A good place to start is www.cfda.gov, a database of all Federal programs available to state and local governments. 

6.   Come prepared. There’s no easier way to persuade a reluctant official to your side of an argument than to come with the facts and figures that back you up. Learn in advance about the various options available for slowing cars (check out www.stopspeeders.org ). Some are less expensive than others. Some are easier to install. Find out what options your town usually employs and see how effective their results have been in the past. Technologies have changed over the last decade and what might have been the best solution in the past may now be overshadowed by newer, better options.

Why radar speed signs work

We know they work. Over the past dozen years or so, a variety of studies have shown that radar speed signs are effective at slowing cars. In some of these studies, they rank the highest among traffic-calming strategies being tested – better than rumble strips, flashing lights and even speed bumps.

Even more impressive is the fact that research has shown that they continue to slow cars even years after first being installed. I remember speaking with a campus police chief at a prestigious east coast university who told me their SpeedCheck signs have been dependably slowing cars for the past five years. I remember that his inflection expressed puzzlement. He knew they worked, he just didn’t know why. Now we do.

A recent report entitled Distracted Drivers In School Zones, sponsored by Safe Kids USA, sheds a spotlight on what is most likely the answer – radar speed signs directly address issues related to driver distraction.

In their study, researchers had trained observers set along a variety of school zones to record evidence of driver distraction. If they saw a driver talking on a cell phone, they wrote it down. If they saw a driver turning around to talk to a child in the back seat, they wrote it down. At the end of the study, they found that one in six drivers traveling through an active school zone was in a state of distraction. One in six!

SpeedCheck signs break through the distractions and serve to refocus driver attention on his or her speed. And that distraction-busting phenomenon never wears out. A passing driver sees their posted speed displayed on the sign face and immediately reacts.

That’s not true for other traffic-calming devices. Rumble strips make noise but don’t give driver’s the same kind of direct feedback that makes them slow down. Either does school zone signs, cross walks, speed bumps or anything else except perhaps a policeman aiming a radar gun. And unlike traffic officers, SpeedCheck radar speed signs don’t mind working 24/7 or require lunch breaks. 

A group of doctors in the Southeast Asian country of Laos are so excited about this little news bit that I had to share it with everyone here.

Doctors in Laos welcome the country's first radar speed sign

Not too long ago, Gary over at Information Display Company received an e-mail from a Dr. Guenther Slesak, a physician representing a group of doctors headquartered in Lao People’s Democratic Republic. As part of a medical team in the area, Dr. Slesak has been providing medical care to the citizens of Luang Namtha, the largest city in Luang Namtha Province.

In the e-mail, Dr. Slesak noted that the medical facilities where he works has seen a steady increase in patients sustaining injuries caused by traffic accidents. In fact, a study conducted by a local hospital found that beginning in early 2007, road traffic accident patients had become the most frequent cause of admissions to the facilities and that the category “traffic accidents” was informally labeled the “new epidemic disease” in the area. Furthermore, it was determined that the single largest contributing factor to the road traffic accidents was excessive speeding.

Out of desperation, Dr. Slesak began researching viable methods used to slow cars. Report after report highlighted the effectiveness of radar speed signs at reducing traffic speeds and decreasing accidents…and that led to his e-mail to Information Display Company.

A couple of months later, a new speedcheck sign arrived in Luang Namtha – the first ever in all of Laos. The medical team handed it over to the grateful provincial traffic police and the speed display’s posting was reportedly met with a small celebration from the locals. I’ll keep you updated as results of the radar speed sign’s effectiveness is evaluated.

If you are at all interested in pedestrian safety issues or are looking for possible funding for your traffic calming project, you should know about the federal Safe Routes To School (SRTS) program. The idea is to improve the ability for children to walk or ride their bikes to school. Not a bad idea for a generation that has gotten used to being chauffeured from one place to another. The program offers training, education, events and funding.

Of course, a big part of that funding goes towards grants that states can use to improve traffic safety. I recently came across an article that explained how the city of New Hope, Minnesota did just that.

With an SRTS grant of $31,200 the Minnesota Department of Transportation implemented a variety of actions to slow traffic around its Sunny Hollow Elementary School. Since the school is surrounded by busy streets, few of the students walk or bike to school. During the morning commute, local traffic is congested with parents driving to school in order to deliver their kids to the front of the building.

While a portion of the grant will be used for training and education, the majority of the funds will be used to purchase three radar speed signs. The signs will be installed next to current speed limit signs and are intended to remind drivers to check their own speed and make sure they are within the limits.

Sounds simple, but it works. A variety of government studies have shown that radar speed displays are particularly effective around neighborhood streets and school yards.

Next step? The city plans to apply for additional grants to fund similar projects near other elementary schools in the state. 

Truckee California, Atlanta Georgia and Winnipeg, Canada are a few of the latest cities to deploy radar speed signs in a big way. The growing acceptance of these traffic-calming displays is particularly noteworthy given the correlating decline in the popularity of speedbumps and radar speed cameras.

radar speed signs' increasing popularity

According to Sam Katz, the mayor of Winnipeg, their recent installation of seven solar-powered radar speed signs is “anything but a cash grab,” – one of the major concerns of Winnepeg citizens opposed to speed cameras. Studies show that radar speed signs are highly effective at slowing cars without being obtrusive or financially threatening (spelled t.i.c.k.e.t). Katz made it clear that none of the new displays will take pictures or be used to issue tickets.

In California, the city of Truckee took advantage of funding provided by the federal Safe Routes to School program to buy and install six flashing crosswalk signs and radar speed signs. The displays are being permanently mounted along a busy school route and are intended to be operational in time for the 2010-11 school year.

And then last year, residents of Wildwood, Georgia, a city just North of downtown Atlanta, used the data collected by a radar speed sign to convince local police that there was a major speeding problem around their local school zones. Surprising to many who analyzed follow up data, that the majority of speeders were local residents. This, however, coincides with findings of numerous traffic-calming studies and highlights one of the key reasons radar speed signs work so well. Most speeders are just distracted drivers. Radar speed signs are an unobtrusive way to redirect driver attention to their current driving conditions. And that doesn’t require photos or ticketing.