| County program gets attention nationally |
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| Wednesday, 16 September 2009 | ||
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Managing editor An innovative Anoka County program that has drawn national attention continues.
The new sign locations are on County Road 72 (Rum River Boulevard) at St. Francis High School, County State Aid Highway 18 (Crosstown Boulevard) at Andover High School and County Road 86 (Sims Road) at East Bethel Elementary School. The signs will be installed in 2010. MnDOT bonding dollars totaling $96,000 will cover the cost of putting in what the county highway department calls “dynamic driver feedback signs.” In 2005, the county used a $208,333 state grant from the MnDOT local improvement program to launch the project by establishing signs at more than a dozen school locations on the county road system in four school districts. Since then, more school safety zone signs have been added at schools located on the county road system as money has become available from both state and county sources, according to Doug Fischer, county highway engineer. Most schools located on county roads now have the signs, but the project will continue to cover most of the rest that are located on the county highway system, Fischer said. However, there are some county roads where existing safety systems are in place - Coon Rapids High School on Northdale Boulevard is one example - that won’t have the signs installed and others where more than the signs are being considered, he said. The driver feedback school safety zone signs have become a model for the state and the nation. “The results of these sign systems have been successful as there has been a dramatic decrease in driving speeds and greater compliance with the school zone speed limits,” said Andrew Witter, assistant county highway engineer. The school safety zone sign program was the idea of county highway department employees. The active school zone speed limit signs flash the driver’s speed as they pass by a school during the hours school is in session, as well as at morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times, and also show the correct school zone speed limit. The traffic control device comprises a school zone speed limit sign, a flasher system and a driver feedback sign. The computerized driver feedback sign, which shows the driver’s speed through the school speed zone area, is a 3M product. “The purpose of the signs is to make drivers more aware of speed limits in school zones,” Fischer said. What makes them unique is that the flashing sign is only active when school is in session, not when there is no school at the location, he said. “That has reduced confusion, increased speed limit compliance and enhanced enforcement,” Fischer said. The statutory speed limit signs with time specific notations on them have proved to be ineffective in achieving compliance, he said. It is 3M’s marketing of its product for the signs that had prompted the nationwide interest in the county’s innovation, according to Fischer. “I continue to get calls from all over the country about program,” Fischer said. The idea for the school zone safety signs started in the county highway department and taken on life, said Anoka County Board Chairman Dennis Berg, who also chairs the Public Works Committee. “It is an innovation we can be proud of,” he said. Peter Bodley is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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