Paper Details

TRB 91st Annual Meeting (January 22-26, 2012)

Event Number:	604
Event Title:	Current Issues in School Transportation Safety
Event Date:	Jan 24 2012 3:45PM- 5:30PM
Event Location:	Marriott, Maryland C
Event Description:
Event Agenda:

Use of "Your Speed" Changeable Message Signs in School Zones: Experience from North Carolina Safe Routes to School Program (12-0484)

The Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program seeks to enable children to walk and bicycle to school through a variety of tools. One such tool recently implemented through the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s (NCDOT) program is the use of speed feedback signs (Your Speed signs) to reduce vehicle speeds in school zones. NCDOT has no policy or standard for the use of these signs within school zones, and research illustrating the value of using permanently installed Your Speed signs in school zones is sparse. The Eastern Carolina Injury Prevention Program (ECIPP) applied for SRTS funding to install these signs as part of their education, encouragement, and enforcement project. NCDOT therefore initiated a study on the use of these signs in conjunction with ECIPP's larger SRTS project. Significant findings of this study include a 3.0 (p < 0.0001) to 4.5 mph (p < 0.0001) reduction in speed sustained over a 12-month post installation period, suggesting that responses to Your Speed signs may not diminish as drivers become accustomed to their presence. Based on these promising results, NCDOT is considering additional research needs to fully inform policy considerations for the future use of these signs. This research may be useful for organizations seeking innovative SRTS program tools to improve speed compliance in school zones, for those contemplating the use of speed feedback signs in school zones who need information on their effectiveness, and for those interested in a different way to evaluate their own SRTS projects.

Authors
     O'Brien, Sarah Worth, North Carolina State University, Raleigh
     Simpson, Carrie Louise, North Carolina Department of Transportation