The City of Langley, in partnership with ICBC, has installed an electronic pole mounted speed reader board near the bottom of the hill on 208 Street just north of 47 Avenue to remind drivers to watch their speed and drive safely.
The 208 Street location was selected based on speed data from the City’s engineering department and in response to speeding concerns raised by City Council and the community.
“This location at the bottom of the 208 Street hill sees over 10,000 vehicles per day with an average speed of 70 km/h. That’s 20 km/h over the posted speed limit,” said Mayor Peter Fassbender.
“The new speed reader board will serve as a reminder to drivers to slow down and drive safely as they travel through the City of Langley, thereby reducing the number of crashes and saving lives.”
The new pole mounted speed reader board will display and record the speed of passing vehicles along with the time of day. The data gathered from this board will help pinpoint when excessive speeding is likely to occur, allowing the City to more effectively manage traffic safety and speeding concerns.
“ICBC is pleased to partner with the City and police on the new speed reader board in Langley. Investing in this technology is one of the ways we’re helping drivers be safer on our roads,” said Leanne Cassap, ICBC’s road safety co-ordinator for Langley.
According to ICBC, unsafe speed is one of the leading contributing factors in police-reported car crashes.
An average of 152 people were killed in speed-related collisions each year from 2005 to 2009, with over 53 per cent of these occurring on a weekend.
The peak hours for fatalities due to speed-related collisions are between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m.
“The speed reader board is a great awareness tool for drivers. It’s a friendly reminder for everyone to slow down and make smart driving decisions — the faster you drive, the less time you have to react to the unforeseen. Remember to plan ahead and be realistic about your travel times.”
For more information call 604-514-2997.