Safer School Zones No Matter The Cost

When cars are speeding in local school zones, radar speedsigns are a natural response. But what about when there’s no room in the budget for them?

The city of Toronto has four SafePace radar signs mounted on trailers and rotated weekly throughout the city. Midtown residents want more. They want the signs installed on streets around two local schools in the neighborhood to stop cars from speeding and ensure kids can get to and from school safely. And they’re willing to pay for them.

Councilor Christin Carmichael Greb said she’s received numerous calls from school councils, resident associations, and even individuals willing to help foot the bill for the SafePace speed signs.

The city is considering whether they can accept public donations to fund the speed display signs, which have been effective on other city streets in slowing cars down. While the signs would be purchased with private funds, they would still be managed by the city who would rotate them on streets around the schools.

The president of a local community association thinks fundraisers should be held for radar signs and other safety solutions in every ward in the city. For more impoverished wards, he proposed raising funds from other parts of the city.

Read the full story here.

Back to School For You Too

Back to School For You Too Unless you’re actively involved in school zone street safety or you’re a parent of school-age kids, there’s a good chance back to school hasn’t really crossed your mind. True, Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer but the weather is still hot, the calendar still reads summer, and not much changes in September for most adults. The truth is though, back to school applies to everyone. All New Yorkers A clever campaign by the NYPD reminds New Yorkers that back to school is for everyone. Even if you’re not a parent of young kids, chances are you drive through school zones and need to be alert to changing speed limits, increased foot traffic, and less observant (and smaller!) pedestrians. Avoiding distracting behaviors and being focused and alert behind the wheel becomes even more important as children head back to school. Vision Zero and Back to School Many cities across the country have issued written statements and safety sheets to help encourage drivers to improve safety with the increase in walking, biking, busing, and carpooling students on the roads. Awareness, coupled with traffic calming measures to slow cars down, can go a long way to improving safety on local streets. With car accidents a leading cause of death for young children in the US, it’s important for drivers to recognize that their choices behind the wheel can actually save a life. Not Too Late Even for cities where back to school didn’t go as safely as planned, it’s not too late to make a difference. Educational campaigns are a great tool to remind local drivers to be alert but physical, ongoing solutions arean important part of safe school zones. Whether speed humps or cushions to compel drivers to slow down or flashing beacons and speed display signs to remind them of lower speed limits, traffic calming solutions can help ensure that students are safe in school all year long.

Back to School Safety

As students across the country head back to the classroom, how can we ensure that they can get there- and back home- safely?

Active transportation such as bicycling and walking to school is increasing but is safety?

Learn about the challenges to school safety and why traffic calming solutions such as flashing beacons, radar signs,and speed cushions may be the crucial first step every city should consider before education, encouragement, or enforcement can be effective. Read our August Traffic Calmer and help your school have a safer year. What you read may just help save a life.

Traffic Calming, Flashing Beacons, and School Safety

With the growing epidemic of obesity, contributed to by the sedentary lifestyle many Americans have adopted, advocates are encouraging a return to manual transportation. More and more students are walking or biking to school but many more are traveling by bus or car.

How safe are students when they arrive and leave school each day? Does your school zone have traffic calming in effect to protect children?

Flashing beacons alert drivers and have been shown to be effective in slowing cars down around schools. The Traffic Logix SafePace beacons are not the only solution we have to help you create safer streets. We've worked with schools across the country to tailor the solutions to fit their needs

Learn more about the safety risks students face each day and the solutions you can use to protect them in our March Traffic Calmer newsletter.

Traffic Logix Releases New SafePace Beacon System

SafePace Beacon System

Traffic Logix recently released the new SafePace Beacon System, a standalone flashing beacon solution. Previously, the flashing beacons were only available as part of the full SafePace school zone system. The new beacons can be used to notify drivers of changing road conditions in school zones, work zones, prior to a steep hill or sudden curve, or anytime you need to alert drivers.

The flashing beacons are available in a choice of amber (yellow) or red and include a unique design that houses all of the solution components in one enclosure for a more streamlined solution.

For the full press release on the SafePace flashing beacons, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9811648.htm and for more information on the beacons, visit the product web page on the Traffic Logix website.