Radarsign addresses small town traffic issues ‘more effectively than speed bumps’ (Rutherfordton, NC)

Rutherfordton, population 4,200, nestles in the western foothills of North Carolina between Asheville, Spartanburg and Charlotte. It’s a town rich in history, founded in 1787.

In 2018, the community was concerned about speeders; conventional wisdom said that speed bumps were the answer. “We didn’t want to go straight to speed bumps because of the time and expense involved” to install them, explains Town Manager Doug Barrick. What the city did want, however, was to address citizen complaints and calm traffic. They found Radarsign’s TC-400 portable driver speed sign to be the solution for both issues.

“This Radarsign product would allow us to really look at the traffic data,” Barrick remembers. “And what we found was that these are even more effective than speed bumps.”

From a citizen’s perspective, the city responds to complaints quickly, deploying a sign almost immediately. That builds trust and keeps all the neighbors happy — and not just the ones in favor of a speed bump. And with multiple brackets, it’s easy to move the portable signs around town as needed. “Citizen complaints dropped and, overwhelmingly, the data shows most drivers comply with the posted speed limits,” Barrick adds.

In fact, Barrick calls the TC-400 “the most effective tool that the town deploys. These signs are bullet-resistant, easy for our staff to operate, just a great all-around tool. It’s one of the best investments we’ve made outside of traditional policing in a long time.”

If your community could use a good tool for traffic calming as well as building trust with citizens, learn more about the TC-400 here or call us at  678-965-4814.