TRAFFIC SAFETY
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A new speed limit sign that warns motorists of speeding and tracks how fast they are going was recently purchased by the City of Elkins. The sign is currently hanging and collecting data on Boundary Avenue.
ELKINS -- In the past, Elkins residents couldn't help but notice the mobile speed limit signs that would be moved to different locations in the city in an attempt to get motorists to slow down in certain areas.
The big electric sign was accompanied with a trailer which was used to move the mobile until to parts of the city where speeding was suspected. When cars passed the sign it would let motorists know just how fast they were going, and if they were breaking the speed limit, the number flashed on the screen.
For years the signs served their purpose, but with technology continuing to evolve around us everyday, there had to be a better solution to consistently lugging the old model around town.
So Chief Travis Bennett of the Elkins Police Department found a solution and recommended to the City of Elkins that it shift to a newer and more advanced model that would be better for everyone involved.
From there the city decided to purchase one of the new signs as a pilot at a cost of $3,500. The new speed limit sign has the capability to do many things the old ones couldn't, but most importantly it can be moved and set up by one person in a matter of minutes.
"The old trailer-based sign was difficult to move around and set up, so it wasn't used as much as it could have been," said City of Elkins Mayor Jerry Marco. "It takes one person to take this sign out and hang it up. Plus it can go up anywhere because it doesn't have that big trailer with it anymore, either."
With the new sign, when high speeds are detected it flashes a blue strobe light to warn drivers to slow down. The sign also records speeds of all the traffic that passes, which allows officials to analyze overall traffic patterns and determine whether or not there is a speeding problem at that location.
"We get a lot of complaints about people speeding and what this new sign will do is give us the data we need to know where the problem areas are," said Marco. "It's a fantastic tool that provides us with a lot of different information. We are going to try it out in different areas throughout the city."
The new sign is currently hanging up on Boundary Avenue where the speed limit is 15 mph. The speed limit on that street used to be 25, before the city council voted to lower it in response to residents' requests.