New radar speed display will be used to slow traffic in school zones.
State College, PA – April 29, 2010 -- All Traffic Solutions, the leader in solutions for traffic safety outcomes, awarded the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD) in Fort Myers, FL with a Traffic Safety Grant. The department presented compelling information on its traffic safety needs in and around its schools, a situation compounded each year by the influx of “snowbirds,” or temporary residents coming to Florida for the winter. The outstanding grant application submitted by FMPD earned them a portable radar speed display.
Doug Baker, Fort Myers Police Chief is pleased to incorporate this smart device in the city’s traffic safety efforts. “We are looking at it from an educational standpoint,” Chief Baker notes. “We want to make sure we are warning drivers to be careful and cautious around our elementary, middle and high schools.” Lee County School District is one of the 50 largest school districts in the nation. In 2009, 66 speeding violations were issued in a school zone and 9 violations were issued for unlawful speeding of a school bus in a school zone.
Chief Baker also noted a correlation between traffic volume and crime volume. If the police department knows where and when the traffic volume is occurring, they can staff appropriately and be on the look out for other violations occurring in the area.
Scott Johnson, Vice President of All Traffic Solutions presented the radar speed display to the FMPD and school officials at a ceremony held on March 29th. Johnson explained that the incorporation of the device into the traffic safety plan would “help law enforcement better understand where its problem areas are and to make staffing decisions based on this information.”
The officials attending the ceremony were thrilled to see firsthand that the sign could be assembled and in operation in just five minutes. The FMPD plans on moving the device regularly between the 14 public, 6 charter, and more than a half dozen private schools in the area.