Friday, 19 November 2021

New radars to tackle speeding

The City is tackling speeding on residential roads with the help of two new radars that alert drivers when they’re over the speed limit. 

The radars – which are portable – will be placed on Townshend Road, between Heystesbury and Hamersley roads, on Tuesday 30 November to address consistent speeding in this area.

The move addresses community concerns about speeding on this section of road and comes after the City collected data showing average speeds exceeded the signposted 50km/h. 

Subiaco Mayor David McMullen said the radars were part of a trial while the City worked with Main Roads Western Australia to consider long-term speed reduction measures for speeding hotspots.

“Speeding impacts on how residents use the street and can have serious implications for road safety,” he said.

“These radars will serve as an interim measure to reduce speeding in targeted areas and will be rotated around the City to different speeding hotspots to slow motorists down and make them more aware of their behaviour and the impacts it can have.

“This approach has been used in other local government areas to great success and I hope to see the same results reflected in the City to make our streets safer for all.”

The new radars will display the speed a driver is travelling at as well as whether this is meeting the speed limit or exceeding it.

They will record two speeds for each motorist – one when the vehicle first enters the area and the second when the vehicle is adjacent to the radar, allowing the City to evaluate effectiveness.

The radars are solar and battery powered, and City officers can program the signs and collect data remotely. 

Good to know:

  • the first location for the radars is Townshend Road between Hamersley Road and Heytesbury Road
  • the radars will be in place for approximately three months
  • there is no built in camera or number plate reading technology within these radars; only movement is detected for the purpose of calculating speed
  • motorists cannot be fined from the use of these radars, instead they aim to reduce speed through making them more aware of their behaviour.
extraMile by Dapth