By Mary Velan
Gov1
What Happened?
Cities are experimenting with different laws and initiatives to mitigate traffic-related injuries and fatalities.
Speed Limit Reductions
The Toronto transportation division is considering new criteria to use when deciding whether to lower the speed limit in residential areas to 30 km/h. The proposed policy change calls on transportation officials to consider new criteria such as traffic load and residential approval before altering speed limits. Currently, the city can install new speed limit signs on neighborhood and collector roads, as well as speed bumps, to reduce driver speed, The Toronto Star reported.
The goal of the new criteria is to ensure the new speed limit is appropriate for the area in which it is being deployed before the transportation division makes any swift changes. Toronto would require any neighborhood street to report less than 8,000 vehicles a day traveling on the road, and a petition signed by at least 25 percent of local households on the street before the speed limit can be official reduced, The Toronto Star reported.
The lower speed limits being proposed are specific to neighborhood/residential streets and will not impact heavily-used main streets. The goal of the lower speed limits is to reduce the severity of collisions and injuries in neighborhood areas. The hope is that all drivers will expect a lower speed limit in residential neighborhoods and eventually slow down their driving behavior naturally, The Toronto Star reported.
Speed Limit Increases
Though it might seem counterintuitive, some transit experts argue increasing speed limits on certain roadways can improve traffic safety. Nine states nationwide are considering new legislation this year to increase maximum speed limits in an effort to improve traffic flow and reduce accidents, Stateline reported.
Proponents of higher speed limits cite increased vehicle safety features better designed roadways to support faster highway speeds. Opponents of these measures, however, note data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety that shows when speed limits increase, so do roadway deaths, Stateline reported.
The evidence to support or dissuade speed limit increases is quite mixed. A Purdue University study found no correlation between raising the speed limit on interstate highways in Indiana and probability of fatalities or serious injuries. A Michigan State Police’s Office of Highway Safety Planning report found lower speed limits do not necessarily improve highway safety either.
Speed Cameras
The use of speed cameras and other automated traffic enforcement solutions has received mixed reviews in municipalities across the country. While some opponents argue they are just a revenue-generating tool, others cite reductions in traffic incidents after deployment. When deployed effectively, traffic cameras may initially increase city revenue, but eventually have a more permanent impact on local driver behavior.
In 2012, Washington, DC, collected nearly $79 million in revenue from about 845,500 speed camera citations. By 2014, however, the city reported just 282,000 speed camera tickets administered, which generated $37.5 million in revenue, The Washington Post reported.
Likewise, Annapolis, Maryland, collected $44,210 from speed camera citations in January 2014, which declined to $13,584 by January 2015, the Capital Gazette reported.
Active Signs
A more subtle change municipalities can consider would be deploying dynamic signage along roadways so drivers are more likely to notice them. A study from the Journal of Consumer Research examined driver behavior when exposed to traditional roadway signs compared to the behavior after viewing higher dynamism signs – or signs with active images.
The researchers theorize that the new signs would do a better job of grabbing driver attention than stagnant signs with little motion currently do. Human brains are more perceptive to detecting actual movement, thus the dynamic signs would trigger a response and not be overlooked as easily.