Interactive road signs to tackle speeders

Reporter: RICHARD HOOTON
Date online: 26 October 2009

OLDHAM Council is to tackle speeding by deploying interactive signs at accident blackspots.

Funding of £126,000 has been approved for the installation of 12 Vehicle-Activated Signs (VAS) at five potentially hazardous sites — tripling the number in the borough.

They are roadside digital signs which interact with drivers by using a built-in radar that detects the speed of oncoming vehicles, but don’t take pictures or result in fines like speed cameras.

Instead they display warning messages to drivers, such as ‘Too Fast — Slow Down’, when an approaching vehicle is exceeding the speed limit.

The signs can also warn drivers that they are going too fast for the type of road — especially when there is a hazard ahead, such as a bend or crossroads — and help to reassure concerned residents.

Recent national studies have shown that VAS can reduce speeds by 2-7mph in their vicinity. Signs used to highlight hazards have also produced significant accident reductions.

Four of the new signs will be placed on the A62 Oldham Road/Huddersfield Road and two on the A635 Holmfirth Road, Greenfield — both notorious for accidents including fatalities.

Two signs will be placed on each of the A663 Milnrow Road, Shaw; A6052 Denshaw Road, Delph; and the B6195 Chadderton Hall Road, Chadderton.

Councillor Brian Lord said: “We all know how tragic the consequences of speeding can be and this scheme is designed to tackle it at specific sites where conventional signing has not been effective.

“Vehicle activated signs have a very clear objective and outcome. Unlike speed cameras they do not record any data for potential prosecutions. Instead their sole purpose is to make drivers aware of the speed they are travelling at and to take action to reduce it.

“They have also been shown to reduce speeds significantly on hazardous sites, such as those with schools nearby or dangerous bends. This is something the public are saying that they want and I am pleased we have found some cash to help meet those wishes.”

There are already two signs on each of the B6194 Abbey Hills Road and the B6194 Shaw Road, Derker and one on the A627 Ashton Road, Hathershaw, and the A669 Middleton Road, Chadderton.

The council has agreed an allocation of £80,000 in funding with a further £30,000 available from the Local Transport Plan to target sites that could see significant casualty reductions. The Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership have also agreed to contribute an additional £16,000 in their area.