The speed radar sign on Kensington Street has moved to the upper west corner of Estevan on Wellock Road, where numerous complaints of speeding have been reported recently.
The speed sign, which displays drivers’ speed as they drive by, has alleviated some of the anxiety in the neighbourhood when it comes to speeding, said Estevan police Chief Paul Ladouceur.
“We’ve sent officers out and didn’t see huge problem while officers were there monitoring the area,” Ladouceur said, adding the next step was to mount the speed radar sign on the road.
“When we put the sign up it certainly acts as a deterrent for speeding, but it can also track some of the data that’s along the road,” Ladouceur said. “Keeping in mind, generally when people see a speed radar sign they slow down, so some of that data we have to be careful of.”
The speed radar sign will collect data on Wellock Road the same way it did on Kensington Avenue, where Ladouceur said the speed limit was generally obeyed, with very few instances of a driver exceeding 70 km/h.
He said they installed the speed sign on Kensington first because of the numerous speeding offences that have occurred there but was confident that speed limits have been increasingly obeyed across Estevan.
“I think, from the data we’re getting and the information we’ve received from the public, that, for the most part, we’re seeing traffic slow down to the speed limit,” he said, noting the high number of complaints relating to traffic in years past.
The new speed radar sign, which received funding through SGI, is a “community initiative,” according to Ladouceur, that will not only deter erratic drivers but also collect data that will be analyzed by SGI and the local Traffic Control Committee.
The sign replaces the bulky radar speed trailer that Ladouceur noted was a bit of an inconvenience when it came to relocating the sign.
The police chief said SGI was “very supportive” of the community initiative.
The sign will be rotated around the city on a month-to-month basis, and Ladouceur said there will be increased foot patrols as well.
He also warned drivers to be aware of children playing outside during the summer.
Despite the speed radar sign’s effectiveness at tracking data and deterring most erratic drivers from speeding, Ladouceur said some drivers will slip through the cracks and disobey speed limits.
However, he stressed the fact that any speeding on Kensington will result in a ticket, and that police will approach speeding from an “evidence-based perspective.”
“When we see the data and realize that ‘yes this area is a concern,’ we prioritize that area for enforcement,” he said.
Ladouceur said the ultimate reason why people slow down when numbers are flashing isn’t because drivers are concerned about how fast they’re driving, but because of the embarrassment that ensues.
“If they’re driving at night and no one is around they won’t care about what numbers are flashing,” he said. “The reality is it’s an embarrassment when you’re driving too fast and there are other drivers around you seeing that … now all of a sudden everyone knows I’m speeding and you’re worried that they’re going to potentially call the police.”
