PORT TOWNSEND — A traffic counter on an electronic speed-limit sign was reprogrammed in October to provide traffic data, quantifying the traffic load on one of Port Townsend’s main roads.
The sign, which is located in front of the Blue Heron Middle School, counted 130,000 cars traveling north on San Juan Avenue since Oct. 18.
The sign has a radar component similar to that on police cars, indicating whether a vehicle is speeding.
It reads out the vehicle’s speed in a single light if it is under the 25 mph posted speed limit, flashing the number if the speed is between 25 and 30 mph.
Above 30 mph, the sign flashes an urgent “slow down.”
Civil engineer Mary Heather Ames said the data indicated that most cars traveling on the road adhere to the speed limit but did not have any specific data about the number of cars and the speed.
The sign is not equipped with a camera to capture the license plates of speeders.
Ames also said that many cars drove much slower than the speed limit during the recent snowstorm.
Prior to the upgrade, the data could be downloaded to a palm device and had limited scope.
Currently, the more detailed data interfaces with a computer through a Bluetooth connection.
A second speed reader sign north of the school clocked 82,000 cars, which were coming from the less populated portion of the school district.
“It appears that the speed reader signs are effective at reminding people to drive the speed limit,” Ames said.
“As time goes on, we are hoping to compare data on something like a yearly basis to see if trends emerge.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.