Resident urges permanent radar sign for South George Street; committee weighs data collection and DOT permissions

A resident identified in the meeting record as Mr. McCormack told the Infrastructure Committee that a temporary radar speed sign placed on South George Street after a prior council meeting noticeably slowed traffic while it was present.

'We everyone on the street thought that was very effective even though it didn't work all the time,' McCormack said, describing residents' observations after the movable sign was stationed in the neighborhood through the holidays. He added that the sign's removal was followed by an immediate return of faster driving.

Chair Elizabeth Ricketts said the city has used movable radar signs on other state roads (Augustine Avenue) and that such devices are a 'recognized and recommended' traffic-calming measure, but she cautioned that George Street is a state road and any permanent installation would require coordination and permission from the Department of Highways. 'Only cities and county governments are eligible applicants,' Ricketts said of federal Safe Streets grant rules, 'however, this is a state road... we would have to apply, do all of the work, and pony up the 20% match, and we would still have to ask DOT permission for every single thing we propose.'

Committee members suggested short-term measures such as asking the police to park a car as a deterrent and recommended using pneumatic tubes to gather one month of speed and volume data to support any DOT request. Ricketts and staff agreed to follow up by asking the police chief about movable-radar availability and exploring data collection and grant options.