Bill Steele says electronic road signs show a face with a frown for speeders
Port Colborne's mayor is coming across new ways to make roads safer, and the technology to do that.
Bill Steele is in Toronto for the Good Roads conference, alongside Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff and Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli, and tells us they're looking at devices to put on top of a street light that records traffic speeds and patterns at specific day times.
He adds this is simply to gather data, and not for ticketing. "You can actually set it where it's a 50km zone, how many people are doing 55 and how many people are doing 60. You can collect that kind of data, so when you talk to the police, you can say 'Look, this intersection is the worst, at this time of day, for speeding'."
He also says road technology is giving roads another 5 to 6 years of life.
As for speeding, there's some nifty ideas coming forth.
He says companies that make road signs are getting creative, with electronic signs that go beyond simply showing the driver's speed. "It'll come up red, but with a big frowny face on it. And when you go to the right speed, it's a big smiley face. As silly as that sounds, they tell us it works, as people pay attention to the method that that sign is giving you. There are no words on it."
The mayor says the budget has doubled over the past few years to maintain the roads.
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