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?

Happy New Year and welcome to 2011. It’s a new day.

And for the world of traffic-calming radar speed signs, the new year is starting off with quite a stir. The folks at Information Display Company just introduced a new MUTCD- and NHTSA-compliant speed trailer that is creating a real buzz throughout the industry. But just look at it. You can instantly see why.

A Real Game Changer

Yes, that’s a speed trailer – the new SpeedCheck DuraTrailer. Turns out that after about a zillion years of the same old speed trailer design, the engineers at IDC thought it was time for a change. The old design had so many flaws but was so ubiquitous for so long, that we’ve all assumed that’s simply the way it is. IDC engineers thought differently.

It started with a simple question, “Why are so many portable radar speed signs left back in the warehouse rather than being deployed with work crews or traffic patrol units?” More often than not, the answer they found pointed to the speed trailer – the equipment that was used to transport the radar speed signs from place to place: they were heavy and hard to maneuver, they were often broken or in some state of disrepair. They were hard to set up. In a nutshell, if the speed trailers were working at all, they were just too big of a pain to use.

Now comes the SpeedCheck DuraTrailer.

Rethinking speed trailer design from the ground up, the DuraTrailer is an entirely new beast. Here’s just a few of the differences:

• It’s lightweight and balanced. One person can easily move it manually from place to place and hook it up to a car or truck.
• It’s made to last. For instance, it incorporates a heavy duty galvanized frame that cane easily withstand the worst road salt and weather conditions.
• Its one-piece molded cover completely protects the speed trailer’s components from the elements and WONT RUST.
• The offset pole design brings the display up front and closer to the view of the driver. The low footprint makes sure workers and pedestrians are clearly visible and not hidden by the machinery.
• It’s simple to remove the radar speed sign so you can use the display for other applications. Or you can easily replace the radar speed display with a variable speed limit sign, intelligent traffic sign or other display.

This isn’t the first innovation introduced by Information Display Company. These are the same guys that have patents and unique designs that upped the bar for vandal resistance, remote office functionality, glare resistant displays and multi-display time sync. It’s nice to see U.S. ingenuity and manufacturing is still alive and well.

So here’s to a great year ahead. We’re out of the shoot with quite a blast.

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.

WELCOME TO A new year!  2010.  Sheesh!  Is it just me or does simply saying 2010 sound futuristic?  Face it.  The “future” is today. We are seeing promises of tomorrow become mainstream realities. If you don’t believe me, just go see Avatar 3D Imax or make a purchase at an Apple (computer) store…or go for a drive.

We are now entering a new era of driving where technology is taking an increasingly larger role in getting us safely to our destination. It’s all about ITS or Intelligent Traffic Systems. If you haven’t yet heard the term, I suggest you say it now a few times to yourself, because before the year is over, it will become a commonly used idiom for most Americans.

Given its relative newness, the term ITS has yet to be firmly solidified within the marketplace and so its currently being used for a fairly wide range of traffic management-related implementations. At the recent World Congress and Exhibition on Intelligent Transportation Systems and Services held this past September, the term was used to describe among other applications:

• Synchronized traffic lights coupled with active displays that tell drivers the optimal speed they should be traveling.
• In-car responder systems that notify emergency personnel of traffic accidents.
• Variable message signs that work with street sensors to instruct drivers of traffic accidents ahead, current drive times to various locations or alternative route suggestions. 
• Speed cameras that automatically record the license plate of traffic law violators.
• Instant drive-by toll collection technology.
• Emergency vehicle detectors that recognize approaching police cars, ambulances and fire trucks and automatically adjust traffic lights to give these vehicles the right-of-way.

As you can see from these examples, some ITS implementations are certain to cause controversy. In fact, the rapid increased interest in the technology is receiving support in the U.S. from various homeland security-related organizations that see a potential use of ITS for both surveillance and as a way to quickly and easily evacuate citizens in the event of an emergency.

Unclogging gridlock with Intelligent Traffic Signs

Information Display Company has already taken a leading role in marrying its display expertise with ITS technology. It is one of the first companies to offer traffic light synchronization displays and variable message signs. They are also working closely with others to adapt their radar display know-how with traffic monitoring systems. The result will be solutions that give motorists real-time information that will help them reach their destinations as quickly and safely as possible.

Stay tuned for updates.

FINDING THE RESOURCES for traffic safety programs is never a slam-dunk. Given today’s economy it’s gotten even harder. However, while many traffic safety programs are being eliminated, there are still places to find funding.

Therer are still SRTS grants available

One of the most popular and effective national programs offering traffic safety grants comes from Safe Routes To School. Launched in 2006, the program is all about encouraging kids to walk and ride their bikes to school. A first step in making this even plausible is ensuring that the routes they take are as safe as possible – and that means slowing cars. Safe Routes to School has a variety of active programs taking place across the entire U.S. with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. Most importantly, they offer grants to qualified applicants. A good first start is visiting their site at www.saferoutesinfo.org.

Even in today’s economy, there are a variety of local, state and federal government programs that may be able to help. These come and go and are often difficult to find, let alone apply for. That’s why Information Display Company has an expert ready to help. If you’re wondering what grants may be available for your specific location, you may want to send an e-mail to IDC’s grant coordinator at grantinformation@informationdisplay.com.

And if you’re courageous enough to do some research on your own, chances are, you’ll stumble across a variety of private corporate grants that may also work. A great example is one offered by State Farm Insurance, which offers charitable contributions to (among other groups) qualified educational institutions and governmental entities. Their grants are focused on three areas: safety, community development and education. You can find out more about the State Farm grant program at http://www.statefarm.com/about/part_spos/grants/cogrants.asp. Specific information about their upcoming 2010 programs should be available around the first of the year.