San Rafael, CA – The Marin County Department of Public Works (DPW) is starting a one-year pilot program to deploy portable electronic speed feedback signs along roadways in unincorporated areas of Marin where speeding has become commonplace and a community concern. The public safety effort will begin January 3, 2020.
The new electronic signs are attached to speed limit signs.Feedback signs, which attach to poles, display the approaching vehicle’s speed to the drivers and alerts them of their speed in relation to the posted limit. Historically, the County places permanently-fixed radar speed feedback signs on roads based on traffic and law enforcement data.
“One of the drawbacks with permanently placed signs is that motorists become accustomed to the signs and gradually begin to ignore them,” said Reuel Brady, Senior Civil Engineer for DPW.
The portable signs, however, have been shown to be an effective safety measure for short periods of time. The signs will be moved to new sites every three months for a total of four locations per sign during the year-long pilot. The rotation is intended to stimulate attentive driving habits.
The County has purchased five portable signs for a total of $18,600, covered by the County’s General Fund. The success of the pilot program will help determine any potential long-term strategy for reducing speeding on County roads. The roads were selected based on the number of speeding complaints received by the California Highway Patrol and DPW’s Traffic Operations Division, followed by confirmation from law enforcement topic experts that signs would improve the chronic issues and help reduce speeding incidents moving forward.
The five signs will be deployed at a different set of roads during each three-month period. The roads include Las Gallinas Avenue in San Rafael, Miller Creek Road in San Rafael, Butterfield Road in Sleepy Hollow, Eliseo Drive in Greenbrae, Lomita Avenue in the Alto area of Mill Valley, Ricardo Road in Strawberry, Nicasio Valley Road in West Marin, Sir Francis Drake Boulevard near Shafter Bridge, Indian Valley Road outside of Novato, and Bel Marin Keys Boulevard in Bel Marin Keys.