Agenda - Council - 11/12/1996 - Laserfiche WebLink

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INCREASED ENFORCEMENT CHAPTER. Increased enforcemer/t involves the effective use of public safety/lbo[ice personnel to en- courage reduced speeds in residential' areas. The enforcement procedure usually involves the use of radar to identify speeders and sub-' sequent ticketing of sl~eed violators. Effects Volumes. Little or no effect. On higher volumb streets used a~ "bypasses," there may be a slight reduction. Speed. Studies have shown that enforcement operations result in appreciable speed reduc- tions. However, speeds are usual/y reduced only as long as the ent?orcement is maintained. Traffic Noise, Air Q~ality and Energy Con- sumption. Little effect in most cases. How- ever, in areas with higher volumes, especially larger percentages of!heavy commercial and truck traffic, there may be some reductions. Traffic Safety. The number of accidents is generally reduced and overall safety is im- proved while speeds are reduced. May have significant J_mpact if sustained enforcement is present. Community Reaction- Residents support and encourage bnforcement on "the/r" street. Th. ere is often a negative reaction if enforce- ment results in citation to local residents. Th.is results in reduced'pohce interest in enforce- ment. Neighbors should be encouraged to view enforcement as a system wide proce- dure. Additional Considerations 1. Impacts of enforcement can have a longer lasting effect when enforcement is repetitive on a non-routine basis and this is communi- cated to the neighborhood and. the driving public through signing and/or brochures. 2. Budget and manpower constraints. Use of personnel for speed enforcement is typically not a high priority for police departments. Manpower time and wages can be costly for th.is type of speed reduction technique. 3. "Photo-Radar" has been implemented in some cities. This can be more cost-effective and safer method of enforcement on higher volume streets. Case Study No specific case study is provided for this report. However, surveys have shown that police enforcement for speed reduction is a widely accepted and effective method nation- wide. It is also accepted positively by the general public. However, as previously stated, the negative aspects of this method are the following: priority and expense concerns of law enforcement agenctes, and enforcement must be administered continuously for long term to be effective. Studies have generaily shown that people speeding in 'neighborhoods tend to be local residents. Neighborhood Traffic Copt:roi January 1994 [ 2-1