Speed

I enjoy tinkering with electronics in my spare time and was pleasantly surprised to come across instructions on how to build my own speed camera system using a Raspberry Pi and Python based software that was freely available to download and use. You can probably create the whole system for less than $100!

This is a video from SAAQ in Quebec produced for a speed and distracted driving awareness campaign in 2020. The speed display in the video is showing real time traffic speeds from a pole mounted radar unit at the filming location. It's a striking visual reminder of how fast we often drive through a school zone.

This is a case where Timothy Drewcock appealed his conviction for speeding in traffic court. His position is that the JJP should not have admitted police radar evidence because there was no evidence explaining when and how the radar instrument used in the case was tested and what tests were made.

The Capital Regional District may implement a Speed Limit Reduction Pilot Project according to the CRD Traffic Safety Commission. These projects have been made possible through recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act and can be held for a 3 year period.

There's a little known secret that can be used to stop speeding in your neighbourhood. Make the roads more narrow! A wide, empty street just entices drivers to increase their speed. They will unconsciously readjust their perceived risk and drive at a speed based on how comfortable they feel driving on your street.

I found this observation on the Grist web site: "Speed limits are set by drivers voting with their feet. That’s a problem for everyone else on the street." It was accompanied by the following video explanation of the 85th percentile speed limit setting method. Fine if you are a driver, but what if you are some other form of road user such as a pedestrian or cyclist?

Have you ever touched on the subject of drivers doing 5 to 15km below the posted speed limit? It's extremely annoying. The passing lanes are usually not available due to Murphy's Law, and the 4 lane stretches are great when you find one, but never when you need them! And the oddest thing happens on these 4 lane stretches; the folks who were going under the speed limit suddenly go 'over' the speed limit!

This week on Twitter the question was posed about why we have cars that are capable of traveling at speeds significantly in excess of our posted speed limits? As luck would have it, one of the mailing lists that I subscribe to contained an article with a link to this video:

In cities, transportation agencies have long understood that motor vehicle speed plays a key role in fatal and serious crashes, and have sought to reduce speeds through design and regulation in order to save lives.

Many people complain about the speed of traffic in their neighbourhoods. Is it an accurate complaint? How do you justify your complaint to the authorities? Well, there's an app for that too.

I remember hearing about a person who was tired of this so he measured the distance between two utility poles beside the highway that he could see from his kitchen window. He would site and time vehicles between the poles with a stopwatch.