Slow Down,
Children at Play
Why not just use
educational campaigns to slow cars down?
| Why not just use education? | In this issue: Why not just education? What makes traffic calming work? What should traffic calming include? Effects of traffic calming On the Streets Premiering Did you Know? Traffic Logix Tidbits |
 It
seems like a good plan. Put a catchy slogan on a sign, market it in
television ads, and convince drivers to slow down and drive safely. But
why doesn’t it always work? While education can be an
important
part of a traffic
calming campaign, education alone has not shown to be
effective in changing driver behavior. The reason is simple- drivers
can ignore the information. |
|
An article published in Injury
Prevention Magazine found that “Driver
education or communication campaigns cannot be expected to radically
change a
young person…” The article instead recommended a
combination of communication and enforcement.
Minnesota’s traffic calming page found that while education is “fairly cost effective” it “typically solves the problem only in the short term.” An article published in Mobilities magazine entitled No Accident: Traffic and Pedestrians in the Modern City notes that “little evidence exists on pedestrian education effectiveness whereas … traffic modification has shown to be more effective.” |
On the Streets A recent study done by ATSSA found a direct correlation between the 2006 increase in federal aid for roadway safety projects and the decline in roadway fatalities every year since. Read more here. |
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| What makes traffic calming work? | Premiering | |
| The American Journal of Public Health found that traffic calming has proven far more effective in reducing pedestrian injuries than road safety education, which has been unable to exert meaningful changes. |  |
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Physical traffic calming leaves drivers with no choice but to slow down. When physical devices, such as speed humps, are placed at appropriate intervals, they compel drivers to slow down and drive at safer speeds. Radar speed signs, unlike static signage, encourage drivers to slow down by making them aware of their individual behavior. By physically slowing vehicle speeds, traffic calming reduces both the number and severity of pedestrian crashes. Even if a crash does occur on a traffic calmed street, lower speed crashes are less likely to seriously injure or kill those involved. |
Congestions
cost the US almost $90 billion in 2009, including myriad traffic
accidents and 2.8 billion gallons of wasted fuel. In urban areas, much of the traffic is caused by cars circling for parking. In San Francisco for example, 30% of cars on the road are spot seekers. |
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| What should traffic calming include? | Several new technologies aim to help reduce congestion by helping people find parking faster. Some examples? SFPark, NJ ParkNet and NY & Boston’s PrimoSpot. Read more here. | |
| There
are three “E”s that are often referred to in
traffic
calming: Engineering, Education, and Enforcement. Traffic
calming
is often most effective when more than one of these components are used. |
||
| Engineering involves modifications to the street such as installing a traffic circle or speed table to encourage drivers to reduce their speeds. Education includes making residents more aware of their behavior and of the dangers of speeding. Enforcement can involve increased levels of law enforcement as well as tracking the effectiveness of traffic calming solutions. | Did you know? |
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| Effects of traffic calming | The Texas DOT found radar trailer units to be the most effective solutions tested to slow traffic in work zones. Read more. | |
| Unlike educational campaigns on their own, traffic calming has proven effective time and time again. | ||
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A report by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia summarized 43 international studies and found that collision frequencies in areas with traffic calming measures declined 8-100% and never increased. An American Journal of Public Health study found that children living near traffic calming devices were 50% less likely to be hit and injured by an automobile in their neighborhood. In cities that have installed Traffic Logix products and conducted before and after studies, there was always a reduction in 85th percentile speeds. To see a sample study, contact us at info@trafficlogix.com. |
Traffic Logix tidbits We will be exhibiting our traffic calming solutions this summer at the ITE International Conference in Vancouver, BC and the APWA International Public Works Exposition in Boston, MA. We’d love to see you there! |
Questions?
Comments? Give us a call or email us at:
| Traffic Logix 3 Harriett Lane Spring Valley, NY 10977 866-915-6449 info@trafficlogix.com |
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