Putting speedsters on the screen
David Masango
19 November 2004
Motorists who break the speed limit on some of Tshwane's high-risk roads can look out for a friendly warning from the authorities - in the form of an electronic billboard telling them exactly how fast they are travelling.
The Tshwane Metropolitan Council police department has unveiled an integrated radar device that measures the speed of oncoming vehicles and warns motorists who are breaking the law by flashing their reading on a screen.
The Visual Speed Display Unit detects the speed of an approaching vehicle from 150 to 200 metres away - and instantly displays it on an electronic billboard for the driver to take note of if he or she is travelling above the set limit.
The authorities hope the device will put psychological pressure on motorists to reduce speed.
The machine also stores data such as the number of vehicles that passed the point, the time a vehicle has passed as well the vehicle's classification.
This data
can then be transferred to a computer and stored for future statistics use for road engineering - and for motivating the setting up of permanent speed equipment in high-risk areas.
The unit costs between R33 000 and R44 000, and can be easily installed and shifted by traffic officials.
Tshwane Metro Police director of road policing Schalk WH van Deventer said he was pleased that the product was being tried out first in Tshwane, adding that it could prove useful in areas - especially residential areas - where they received a lot of complaints about speeding.
"Instead of sending the whole team, we can send one officer to the area to man the device", Van Deventer said. "He can then show residents and motorists if speeding did really take place or not."
He said his department would concentrate use of the warning device in the highest priority speeding and accident hotspots in Tshwane.
Source: BuaNews
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