Gadsden City Council OKs purchase of solar-powered radar signs
The Gadsden City Council on Tuesday approved the purchase of 10 solar-powered Evolution 12 FM radar signs that have the capability of flashing messages like “too fast" or “slow down” at heavy-footed motorists in problematic traffic areas.
Heath Williamson, the city’s director of engineering, said the signs will be focused in areas where “traffic calming” issues have arisen, but aren’t suited for speed bumps.
“We’ve run out of the old radar signs we’ve used in the past,” Williamson said during the May 9 precouncil meeting, where the purchase was discussed. “These are newer designs that incorporate solar panels, which will take care of the issue of replacing the batteries every two weeks.”
He said the signs will keep a constant traffic count, plus with an accompanying software trial the information they record will be available to city officials and law enforcement in real time. Data from the old radar signs had to be manually downloaded.
Williamson said speed limits will be posted above the signs and the flashing messages can easily be revised. The signs can also be shifted to different locations if needed.
A city ordinance outlines specific steps for requesting “traffic calming devices” — speed bumps — in an area. Someone who lives on the street in question must present a position signed by 10 separate households on that street. That allows the engineering department to complete a traffic study.
To get to the next step in the process, the study must confirm that 85% of the vehicles recorded are traveling 32 mph or more, and the average traffic demand is higher than 400 vehicles per day or the peak hourly volume higher than 100 vehicles. (Intersections that have seen four or more crashes within a calendar year automatically qualify for speed bumps.)
Once those requirements are met, a petition is distributed to residents in areas around the street who would be affected by the speed bumps. Ninety percent of those residents must sign the petition and 75% must favor the speed bumps for them to be installed.
Getting everyone on board is critical, as Williamson noted that the devices are about as difficult to remove as they are to install and are costly.
Council members asked if the new radar signs could be equipped to read license plates to aid in actual traffic enforcement, like the red-light and speeding cameras in use elsewhere in Alabama. Williamson said that’s possible but with costly upgrades.
“We don’t want to get into the habit of a temporary fix deal, not giving warnings or citations,” council member Larry Avery said. “We want people to see that the device is doing what it’s supposed to be doing.”
Council member Jason Wilson referenced a proposal presented last year by Turnkey Safety Consultants, which was not adopted, for an automatic ticketing system for violators. That company was started by friends of his, and he said they’re working with other cities where warning letters are sent out initially, instead of tickets.
“The city can say what the parameters are, like 15 mph or 20 mph over the speed limit, when a letter goes out and determine what it says,” Wilson said. “It doesn’t have to be a penalty right out of the gate.”
He said Turnkey had set up its cameras on Black Creek Parkway, near Gadsden City High School, and caught cars traveling 95 mph to 100 mph.
“It might be a good idea to send those individuals a letter,” Wilson said, “and say, ‘Hey buddy, it might not be a good idea for you to be going 100 mph next to our high school.’ ”
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Gadsden City Council OKs purchase of new radar signs
