Neighborhood Safety
Best Practices in School Zone Traffic Calming
Creating a Safe, Effective School Zone Traffic Plan Each year, an estimated 100 children are killed in the U.S. as they go to and from school, and some 25,000 students are injured from incidents in school zones. The primary factor in these events is speeding. Unfortunately, two-thirds of drivers exceed the legal speed limit when…
Illinois Strikes a Balance in Traffic Calming Trends
A 12-month analysis of sales found that, in 2014, 31% of the radar speed signs sold in Illinois were purchased by municipalities and another 31% were purchased by law enforcement departments. Read more on the traffic calming trends identified in the “Land of Lincoln.”
Not in My Front Yard
Usually, speed humps slow traffic. That is their very purpose. However, the informed recognize that there are tradeoffs to using this type of vertical traffic calming device. The residents living on Ruth Avenue in Clifton, NJ are in need of an effective traffic calming plan. Drivers frequently use their neighborhood street to avoid a heavily…
Traffic Safety Can’t Wait
The town of Signal Mountain, TN, like other communities around the country, is concerned about traffic safety around their school campuses. The town council recognizes that a well-planned comprehensive approach will best address their traffic calming needs. This could involve securing a traffic engineering study, which could cost from $5,000 to $30,000, and/or hiring a…
Vancouver Solicits Traffic Calming Ideas from Citizens
In 2015, the City of Vancouver is asking residents to submit their own ideas to reduce speeding in their community as part of the Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program. In its third year, the program has dedicated $170,000 to implementing new traffic calming projects, including radar speed signs. Last year, the city offered residents brightly…
Radarsign® Sales Hit New Milestone: 10 Consecutive Years of Year-Over-Year Growth
Sales metrics for 2014 confirm that record numbers of U.S. government organizations and law enforcement entities continue to select Radarsign as their provider of choice for traffic-calming radar speed signs. Radarsign—the manufacturer of the world’s first armored radar speed signs—has seen unprecedented, year-over-year growth for a ten years now.
Traffic Calming Measures can be Divisive
Where there is traffic, there will be speeding. That is incontrovertible. What is debatable is how a community should best address the speeding. One traffic-calming strategy that is becoming more commonplace is roundabouts. These one-way circular intersections direct traffic around a raised center island. Supporters advocate that roundabouts slow traffic without causing the back-ups of…
Dinosaurs Were Unwelcome Traffic Calming Tools
Long Beach officials were forced to return to the drawing board when residents complained about the dinosaur-shaped bike racks installed on Wardlow Road in the El Dorado Park area. The fanciful bike racks were just the latest in a string of attempts, including several construction-based options, to slow speeding drivers along the 45 mph street.…
Rigid Criteria Leaves Neighborhood Vulnerable
To ensure equitable allocation of resources, municipalities have established criteria for determining where they implement traffic calming measures. To concerned citizens, some of these rules can seem arbitrary, especially when considering that it only takes one speeding motorist to maim or kill a pedestrian or cyclist. One Las Vegas neighborhood is questioning these guidelines. Speeding motorists…
Multi-Way Stop Signs Do Not Control Speed
The Port Orange, Florida city council unanimously approved the recommendation to install a three-way stop sign based on the results of a recent traffic-calming study. This study was conducted in response to complaints about drivers exceeding 60 mph on a roadway where the posted speed limit is 25 mph. The study’s final recommendations included adding…
Residents Resort to Homemade Signs to Slow Speeders
It is said that necessity is the mother of invention. When people feel the need to protect their families and their neighborhood, they can get very creative. In Homewood, AL, residents have posted hand lettered signs reading “Slow Down; People Live Here”. The speed limit on Valley Avenue is 35 mph. However, residents say that…
South Jersey Neighborhood in Need of Long-Term Solution for Speeding Drivers
Speeding is a 24-hour problem, but there are certain times when speeding drivers endanger our most vulnerable citizens. In a particular South Jersey neighborhood, residents often awaken to the roar of vehicles flying past their homes at speeds of 75 – 85 miles per hour. These same residents, who have monitored traffic repeatedly, report that…