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.”

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.

Radar Speed Signs Increasing Work Zone Safety

I RECENTLY HAD a chance to speak with Tad Blanton, a field operations supervisor for Medford, Oregon’s Public Works. He manages four crews that work year round on every type of public works project you can imagine – from underground maintenance to structural repairs, paving and concrete work. Many of the projects take place outdoors alongside moving traffic.

He told me that about three years ago, he got a call from someone in the city’s electrical repairs department. The guy had just seen a demonstration of a speedcheck radar speed sign from Information Display Company and thought Tad should check it out himself…and he did.

After the demo, Tad spoke with the folks at IDC and arranged to have one of their speedcheck displays loaned out for a few weeks. Tad said that providence brought the radar speed sign to his department when it did. They were just about to begin work on a storm drain repair project that would have them in the middle of heavy traffic – traffic that could not be shut down or detoured.

Tad told me that his crew came back entirely surprised and enthusiastic about the radar speed display. They told him that the difference the display made in slowing cars and increasing safety was (and I quote) “absolutely unbelievable.”

Of course, the city has since purchased several speedcheck radar speed signs from Information Display Company. When I spoke to Tad, he told me that even the original speed display – the one they first received as a loaner -  is still working as well as it did the first day they used it - and that was three years ago.

Fact is, the Federal Highway Administration reports that 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.

Add to this the fact that an estimated 20 percent of our national highway system is currently under construction, and you have a lot of potentially hazardous work zones (about 3,000 on U.S. highways alone) Add to that thousands more including work being done on public streets, around construction sites and on public works projects, and were looking at thousands of work zones across the U.S. and thousands of workers and drivers at increased risk.

While we all look forward to getting America back to work and having some upgrades made to our nation’s infrastructure, let’s not forget about the safety element. Tad and the city of Medford would agree that radar speed signs could have a huge impact on keeping both workers and drivers safer in work zones.