It is a nice feature of many business that they have campuses for the uses of both employees and customers. But one of the drawbacks of campuses is that they almost always have heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic. With so many people rapidly coming in and out the possibility of accidents is one that ought to be considered. Obviously traffic calming signs are a good option but that raises a new question. Are static signs really sufficient to tame the possible threat?
Whether you are looking to make things...
Read MoreOne of the problems with static speed signs is that they can make no allowance for special circumstances. Variable speed signs on the other hand, have a distinct advantage. A study was done in the 90s in several European countries. In Germany, the autobahn served as the testing area. Since some areas of the autobahn have no speed limit. Germany concluded that using dynamic speed signs in some areas would be both affordable and save money, so much so that the whole system would be paid for within two to three years.
Many communities get requests every year for simple traffic calming tools. But since resources are often tight many request end up being shelved. There are steps that can be taken to cut down local speeding problems. Even something as simple as getting the local government to paint “SLOW” on the streets where speeding is a problem.
One of the ways that you can get changes made in your own community is by talking to the neighbors and looking for collective support. If you try and get changes made alone you are unlikely to gain the...
Read MoreStatic road signs have many advantages. When a driver sees a posted speed sign in the plain black and white they know they are looking at the official speed for the area they are driving through. The universality of these signs is good, they all look exactly the same so they can be identified at a glance. But the drawback to these signs is that people become so used to seeing them that they begin to stop noticing them. They drive the same road every day so when they pass that same sign they don't even glance up, the sign has just become part of the...
Read MoreWhen it comes to traffic calming there are very few areas that are more important than school zones. With so many pedestrians (primarily children) coming and going and parents driving in to pick up their kids it is essential to be even more attentive to what is happening around us they we ordinarily are. Most school have traffic calming signs but all the same in areas with so much pedestrian and vehicular traffic a little extra precaution is certainly prudent.
With school zones already protected by ordinary traffic calming signs...
Read MoreWe can all know that construction zones can be dangerous but when we think of the dangers we don't usually consider the traffic dangers. According to statistics, most construction zone accidents that involve through traffic happen in the space where cars are changing from the higher speeds to lower speeds. Some lanes end in these transition areas and these shifts can create dangers for drivers. Unfortunately, some drivers don't slow down and end up making sudden stops. This can lead to accidents involving other drivers and sometimes even...
Read MoreNo one can deny that conventional measures of traffic calming, like stop signs, have their place. In some areas stop signs are absolutely essential to keeping the traffic under control. However, using the same solution for every problem is unwise. In some situations steps like stop signs or speed bumps are simply not adequate and can even aggravate the problem.
Whenever there is an accident or injury at an intersection our minds jump to solutions like stop signs to solve the problem. But in reality stop signs cannot guarantee a solution and...
Read MoreEvery kind of industrial area can have potential dangers. The use of heavy equipment, explosive or flammable substances, weighty construction materials, cutting and welding tools that are used on a daily basis, all these things can be hazards that most people don't experience in their day to day lives. But to add to the normal dangers there is also the possibility of crashes and the risks become staggering. Taking action to prevent crashes and collisions in industrial areas is important. With vehicles like forklifts and bulldozers moving from place to place,...
Read MoreSome of the most dangerous driving areas are those with both pedestrian, and vehicular traffic. It is essential that traffic be carefully monitored through the use of traffic calming measures like MUTCD signs. Since there are many areas that may require attendance, just using a standard traffic sign is probably not the answer. With areas like school zones, work zones, and industrial workplaces all requiring different levels of attention, a fixed, static road sign won't get the job done. Only a variable speed sign can manage all of these...
Read MoreIt is always good to be thinking about traffic calming actions, but in order to decide what sort of solution is right you need to first come to a conclusion about whether or not there really is a problem to be solved. All the same, waiting for an accident to occur before taking preventative steps is unnecessary and unwise.
Safety Calm software allows you to put a sign in place and gather information about traffic flow and speeds without changing anything. Nothing has to be on display, and in fact it's better if the sign doesn't display while you're...
Read MoreStop signs are necessary at many intersections to help the flow of traffic. Using the signs as a traffic slowing device, however, is often a poor choice. If your town or city is having problems with speeds on a particular stretch of road, putting stops at intersections on that road might seem like a good idea. Unfortunately, it can actually make a dangerous traffic situation even worse.
Intersections where there are often collisions between vehicles as well as pedestrian injuries cry out for stop signs or stop lights. It...
Read MoreEvery device intended for traffic calming has pros and cons. Some which might be terrible in one situation could be ideal in another. But this makes it especially important you carefully look at the options before you decide which measures and devices are a good fit for your area. Whether you're with a local government that makes these decisions, or you're a citizen who wants to stay informed and help shape your community, a look at some of the hidden dangers in some traffic calming measures can help you make better decisions.
Some of the most common traffic calming methods used today are built in at the time of roadway construction. Things like extended curbs, roundabouts, center medians and forced turn lanes are all considered traffic calming devices. Anything that forces traffic in one direction or narrows lanes has the potential to slow traffic down. But these choices may not always be the best for traffic flow, even if they do tend to reduce speed.
They're also most cost-effective if they're installed at the time of road construction. Unfortunately, unless the need for traffic calming is...
Read MoreThe many benefits of using good traffic calming measures on your corporate campus make the small investment in these measures well worth the cost. You can gain a lower accident rate, less congestion and a more pleasing area to walk and drive in when you use the right traffic control techniques like driver feedback signs that slow traffic down.
There's also an important benefit that might not be obvious right away. It's one thing that businesses clamor for and sometimes never quite achieve. You can take your business a step in the right direction if you can help prevent...
Read MoreTraffic calming techniques have several purposes, including improving traffic flow and lessening congestion. The main reason for traffic calming measures like driver feedback signs, however, is to prevent accidents and save lives. If traffic is a problem or a potential problem where you and your family live, the addition of driver feedback signs can help keeps the kids in your community safer.
The American Journal of Public Health found that children who live near traffic calming devices were a full 50% less likely to be hit by a car in their neighborhood than kids who...
Read More