Police and Residents Collaborate to Make Streets Safer
A the request of several area residents who read my November 12 Post Bulletin article on speeding which referenced the Traffic Tamer's program here's a previous article on Traffic Tamers -- call me if you're interested.
“Slow down!” – a too frequent cry heard in our neighborhoods directed at fellow residents. “Somebody will get killed! You’ve got to do something!” Yes, but what?
Speed bumps, speed tables, chokers, median strips are somewhat effective but costly. Bumps and speed tables don’t mix too well with snowplows either! Stop signs are the most requested “fix” made to council members and public works -- most requested, least expensive, and least effective. (We have references to studies showing this.)
So what works? Having a Police car shooting radar and issuing tickets seems to work pretty well – for the time the officer is on station and for perhaps two or three days afterwards. With 440 miles of paved streets to patrol and less than a dozen officers on shift – well, its no wonder so many residents are frustrated and stand at the curb shaking their fists at offending drivers. A hopeless situation? Not any longer!
In a unique collaboration between Police and residents, a new program – Traffic Tamers – has been created to help bring safe streets back into our residential areas.
It’s a multi-faceted” program”, reports Crime Prevention Officer, Ken Plummer, who has taken the lead in its development. “Education, monitoring, reporting, enforcement - all play a key role in this program.”
How does the program work?
First, neighborhood volunteers distribute information flyers describing their traffic safety concerns and their role in the Traffic Tamer program to their neigborhood. Then the neighborhood volunteers, after screening and a short training course, monitor their streets at their chosen location, date, and time, using a police provided radar gun. They will work in teams of two or three – one person registering the actual speed, others capturing vehicle information. These logs will them be turned in to the Crime Prevention unit for processing.
Registered owners of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by 5 or more MPH will be sent a notification letter emphasizing the need for safety on our streets and requesting their cooperation in the future. No tickets will be issued nor will there be any notation on a driver’s record. Vehicle registration information will not be shared with the neighborhood volunteers.
Follow on phases will include the visible monitoring of the street with the mobile radar trailer and then actual police enforcement,if warrented, by the data collected from the Traffic Tamer effort and the radar trailer.
There are a number of benefits to this program. The residents are there every day. They are the experts of their area. They know best when to watch and can more effectively gather the data that will help our police and traffic safety engineers make more effective future solutions. In addition, they will also be able to validate their perception of their local speeding problem by capturing accurate speed information first-hand.
This data will allow the Police Department to position traffic enforcement officers at the proper locations and at the proper times for most effective use of these valuable resources. It’s a win-win situation.
For information on how and when you can be a Traffic Tamer call the Rochester Police Department, 281-6045 or send an e-mail to kplummer@ci.rochester.mn.us OR call me at 285-0295.
Bob Nowicki
“Slow down!” – a too frequent cry heard in our neighborhoods directed at fellow residents. “Somebody will get killed! You’ve got to do something!” Yes, but what?
Speed bumps, speed tables, chokers, median strips are somewhat effective but costly. Bumps and speed tables don’t mix too well with snowplows either! Stop signs are the most requested “fix” made to council members and public works -- most requested, least expensive, and least effective. (We have references to studies showing this.)
So what works? Having a Police car shooting radar and issuing tickets seems to work pretty well – for the time the officer is on station and for perhaps two or three days afterwards. With 440 miles of paved streets to patrol and less than a dozen officers on shift – well, its no wonder so many residents are frustrated and stand at the curb shaking their fists at offending drivers. A hopeless situation? Not any longer!
In a unique collaboration between Police and residents, a new program – Traffic Tamers – has been created to help bring safe streets back into our residential areas.
It’s a multi-faceted” program”, reports Crime Prevention Officer, Ken Plummer, who has taken the lead in its development. “Education, monitoring, reporting, enforcement - all play a key role in this program.”
How does the program work?
First, neighborhood volunteers distribute information flyers describing their traffic safety concerns and their role in the Traffic Tamer program to their neigborhood. Then the neighborhood volunteers, after screening and a short training course, monitor their streets at their chosen location, date, and time, using a police provided radar gun. They will work in teams of two or three – one person registering the actual speed, others capturing vehicle information. These logs will them be turned in to the Crime Prevention unit for processing.
Registered owners of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by 5 or more MPH will be sent a notification letter emphasizing the need for safety on our streets and requesting their cooperation in the future. No tickets will be issued nor will there be any notation on a driver’s record. Vehicle registration information will not be shared with the neighborhood volunteers.
Follow on phases will include the visible monitoring of the street with the mobile radar trailer and then actual police enforcement,if warrented, by the data collected from the Traffic Tamer effort and the radar trailer.
There are a number of benefits to this program. The residents are there every day. They are the experts of their area. They know best when to watch and can more effectively gather the data that will help our police and traffic safety engineers make more effective future solutions. In addition, they will also be able to validate their perception of their local speeding problem by capturing accurate speed information first-hand.
This data will allow the Police Department to position traffic enforcement officers at the proper locations and at the proper times for most effective use of these valuable resources. It’s a win-win situation.
For information on how and when you can be a Traffic Tamer call the Rochester Police Department, 281-6045 or send an e-mail to kplummer@ci.rochester.mn.us OR call me at 285-0295.
Bob Nowicki
posted by Bob Nowicki | 10:10 PM
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