Phila. Road Engineers Say Speeders Will Trigger Red Lights On Kelly Drive
By Michelle Durham
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Drivers who use Kelly Drive have recently noticed a new sign along the roadway, which officials hope will give motorists a good reason to slow down to the posted 35mph speed limit.
With speeds on that roadway often more like a Nascar race, the Philadelphia Streets Department says that now, if you speed, you'll be confronted with a red light a short distance down the road.
"We actually are using wireless technology to determine the speed of the car," says city chief traffic and street lighting engineer Richard Montanez. "And then, based on that, we trigger the red light."
He says the speed detection equipment is connected to the traffic light at Fountain Green Drive.
What the speed threshold is, and where the technology is located, is secret, but Montanez says it has become necessary.
"The average speed that we are seeing is between 50 and 55 (mph)," he tells KYW Newsradio.
About 20,000 drivers use Kelly Drive every day. Montanez says commuters can also expect to see more police presence, "so people don't think they can just run the red light because we are triggering it."
He says they will take a look at the data over the coming months as they monitor speeds.
