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Electronic Speed Sign - Durham Road

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Slow Down!
School Zone Safety Update

Busy School Zone
Speeding motorists are a problem in cities and counties across America. In Tigard, Oregon, a suburb of 47,000 southwest of Portland, city agencies and local businesses have pulled together to control speeding and increase pedestrian safety in a local school zone. More than 10,000 cars per day travel the busy road where Tigard High School is located, making it potentially one of the most dangerous school zones in the district.

With a posted speed limit of 20 mph when school speeds are enforced, motorists are frequently ticketed for driving in excess of 40 mph, putting students and other pedestrians at risk. In April, 2003, a hi-tech solution was proposed to curb speeding in the school zone near the high school.

Electronic Speed Sign Considered
Information Display Company (IDC), a local manufacturer of radar and electronic speed display equipment, offered the City of Tigard an electronic speed display sign for a 90-day trial period. Tigard Police coordinated the venture and was eager to ascertain the effectiveness of the sign. As with most law enforcement, resources are limited and police efforts to maintain safe speeds near the school were not always available.

Traffic in front of Tigard High School has slowed considerably since the installation of the speed display sign, much to the relief of police and school officials. It was evident that the sign was an effective tool in helping to better control speed near the high school. However funding to purchase the sign was not anticipated nor budgeted. At the same time, the sign's temporary placement was also exceeding the length of time the equipment was on loan. It appeared that in efforts to make the sign a permanent fixture, funding would need to happen quickly. It was obvious the results were exactly what everyone wanted. But now the problem suddenly turned from speeding issues to fundraising if we were to make the sign a reality.

Funding Needed
In response, Tigard Police rallied the community and school district to help obtain funding to make the sign a permanent fixture. Grant opportunities were quickly researched. Information about the sign was provided to the community via the city's website, monthly newsletter and local print media in efforts that a funding source might surface. Coupled with the fact that over 16,000 vehicles traveled the stretch of road daily where the sign stands, it was apparent that nearly everyone knew of the sign and the need to obtain funding to make it permanent. It was not long before someone took the idea and ran with it.

The Tigard Kiwanis Club quickly offered to contribute funds toward the purchase of the sign. A service organization, with deep roots in the community that embodies the mission of assisting children and advocating safety, they saw the need to further their work in keeping children safe. Their funding capacity had limits however.

Enter now the manufacturer, Information Display Company. They offered a generous discount to the organization to further speed up the fund raising efforts. The motion had now been set. The local school district immediately witnessed the benefit of the sign so they also stepped in with some matching funds. As a result of the combined efforts of the manufacturer, the school district and the Kiwanis, the sign was purchased and given to the City of Tigard in October 2003.

Locals Applaud Safety Measures!
The local community has shown strong support for the speed display sign. Within days of its installation, Tigard Police Chief Bill Dickinson had received numerous messages from residents praising the city for improving safety in the school zone. Students, school administrators and faculty at Tigard High School have also applauded the city for taking action to reduce speed near the school, noting that the speed sign provides a constant visual reminder to motorists to slow down.

Students in the Tigard High School Key Club contributed funds toward the purchase of the speed display sign and believe it was a worthwhile project to support. "The students realize that school safety is important and wanted to be part of the solution," stated a member of the Tigard Kiwanis Club who acts as a liaison to the Key Club at the high school.

The speed display sign has also benefited the Tigard Police Department, who rely less on police presence to enforce the speed limit as a result of the sign's installation. "Police enforcement of the posted speed limit does offer a temporary reduction in speed," says Chief Dickinson. "But the speed display sign has a more enduring reaction; people are reminded to slow down every time they see it." It appears the sign assists the community in policing themselves.

Speeding Citations Drop
"Over the past year, the Tigard Police Department has noted a marked decrease in speeding violations in the school zone, which in part can be credited to the speed display sign," stated Jim Wolf, Public Information Officer for the Tigard Police Department noted that police had issued 59 citations for speeding, recorded April through June 2003. In the three months preceding the signs installation, the number of similar citations dropped to 20 - a 34% decrease.

The collaborative efforts of numerous City of Tigard agencies, including the police and public works departments, the school district, the Kiwanis club and IDA have dramatically improved the safety in a local school zone. The culmination of the project truly exemplified community policing. Not only was the community taking the approach to solve a problem, but also recognizing it and working with the police to solve the issue was clearly evident from the start.

In the future the Tigard Police Department and the Tigard-Tualatin School District hope to install speed display signs in every school zone in the city, "These signs enhance safety in the community," stated Chief Dickinson. "And anything we can do to improve safety, I am compelled to support."

For More Information
For additional information, please contact the Public Information Officer with the Tigard Police Department. The telephone number is 503-718-2561 or email your comments or questions to jim@tigard-or.gov.