Have you ever seen an over-speeding vehicle near the school? I'm sure that this is a common situation faced by many people. There have been many stringent rules and policies which have been proven helpful but only to a certain extent.
There is a need for a more effective traffic calming tools and devices which can influence the behaviour of the driver thus, convincing him to drive within a defined speed limit. Variable Message Signs or Radar Speed Signs are the best and the most effective way. Of these, the radar speed signs are more popular and there are many reasons for the same, which will be highlighted further.
For now, let's understand what are radar speed signs and variable message signs and how they work?
Let’s first understand about Variable Message Signs or VMS. These are digital display boards which are illuminated with LEDs of different colours and display information related to traffic, alternate route, construction work and any other factor which may directly or indirectly influence the flow of the traffic.
These are controlled by a remote computer from where information is updated in real time. They are visible from a long distance and hence, have proven to a be a great source for streamlining the traffic and traffic management.
Next, comes the Radar Speed Signs, these signs are comparatively compact in size and work in real time. They are the best alternatives t the traditional traffic calming ways; like road bumps and humps. Being highly portable they can be easily mounted on the road side.
How will they help the schools?
Now the next question that pops up, is how do these signs help in improving the traffic speed conditions in these areas?
The answer is very simple, firstly controlling overspeeding vehicles by manual efforts may not always prove to be highly effective. Conjugating the manual efforts with the technologically advanced devices like radar speed signs or VMS can prove to be very effective in controlling problem of over-speeding.
Benefits of having radar speed signs near school zone-
As we know that radar speed signs work on the Doppler Effect where it calculates the speed using the radio waves emitted and received back. Based on the time difference, the speed limit of a particular area is decided.
This way every zone has a specific speed limit. For example, the speed limit of particular areas is 30 MPH, and if the radar speed sign is installed with this speed limit, then it will start indicating once it detects the speed of the vehicle more than the defined speed limit of 30 MPH.
This particular proves to be beneficial in high traffic areas like hospitals, schools and residential apartments where we have many pedestrians on the road.
Having a radar speed sign or VMS in a particular area will help in cutting down the problem of over-speeding vehicle. Another impact of radar speed signs is that it influences the behaviour of the driver. Knowing the speed limit beforehand will help the driver to drive in control without worrying about tickets being issued.
All in- all it’s a perfect device that must be installed in a school zone.
