Speed Display Boards Improve Traffic Compliance in Markham, ON
City of Markham successfully reduces speeding and improves traffic safety by deploying speed display boards across the city, resulting in decreased speeding and positive community feedback.
The Challenge
The City of Markham, located in York Region, Ontario, is a vibrant community with a population of around 360,000 and over 2,000 kilometres of roads. As a growing urban area, Markham faces common traffic concerns, including speeding. Speeding not only poses safety risks but also leads to numerous complaints from residents. Previously, the city relied on speed bumps to address speeding issues. However, these were not favored by emergency services or city transit buses, and the city needed a more effective solution to manage speeding without disrupting essential services.
The Solution
To tackle the speeding problem more effectively, the City of Markham decided to implement speed display boards from Traffic Logix. The Engineering Department initially evaluated various traffic calming solutions. While traditional methods such as road signs and pavement markings were not successful, the idea of using speed display boards gained traction. Speed cameras were considered but were deemed too costly and elicited some privacy concerns.
Markham chose to deploy speed display boards across the city to educate drivers about speed limits and encourage compliance. A total of 24 boards were installed, with three boards placed in each of the city’s eight wards. The installation process involved careful planning, including road validation and contractor coordination, to ensure optimal placement.
The speed display boards from Traffic Logix include access to detailed traffic data and statistics, which the city shares with the police department to help finetune and pinpoint enforcement efforts.
The Benefits
The Traffic Logix speed display boards has significantly improved traffic behavior in Markham. According to Aftab Salam, Engineering Technologist in Markham’s Traffic Engineering department, “The speed boards have proven to be effective in reducing speeding. We’ve observed a reduction in speeds of up to 10% in some areas, and residents have expressed positive feedback about the increased safety and visibility.”
Before the deployment, some roads experienced speeds exceeding the posted limit by over 10 km/h. After installing the boards, speeds were reduced, demonstrating the effectiveness of the solution. Data collected from the boards, managed via cloud services, has shown improved driving behavior and reduced speeding incidents.
The city is considering future orders based on the life cycle of existing units and ongoing traffic needs. Mr. Salam noted that the Traffic Logix radar boards are easier to handle and more lightweight than other units they’ve tried in the past.
Overall, the speed display boards have enhanced traffic safety, improved community satisfaction, and provided valuable insights into driving behaviors, proving to be a crucial traffic management tool for the City of Markham.
