In July of this year, the City’s Urban Mobility Directorate successfully implemented two innovative smart speed signs along High Level Road in Sea Point in a bid to curb speeding.
Since its installation, the smart speed signs have helped reduce speeding along High Level Road by two-thirds, equating to a decrease of roughly 67%, far higher than the forecasted decrease of 25%.
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The signs which are strategically positioned use advanced technology to detect a vehicle’s speed and promptly display the reading on a variable message Sign, effectively creating a ‘front-of-mind message’ for drivers to reduce their speed.
‘We recorded some data before the actual display was activated. Then we recorded more data after these signs were activated and noted a change in driver behaviour patterns,’ shared Councillor Rob Quintas, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility with TopAuto.
‘Therefore, we can confirm that these signs have been assisting in reducing speeding along this road.’
After the positive results from the new speed signs, Cape Town plans to assess the initiative’s long-term effectiveness. This evaluation will influence the decision to potentially implement similar measures on other roads facing speeding issues.
The expansion of this initiative and potential locations will depend on the sustained success of the signs on High Level Road. Councillor Quintas mentioned that any further deployment would also consider requests from the City’s Transport Engineers for installation on specific routes.
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Picture: City of Cape Town