Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. 2. Government Accession No. DOT HS 810 764 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date Demonstration of Automated Speed Enforcement in School Zones in February 2006 Portland, Oregon 6. Performing Organization Code 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No. Freedman, M., De Leonardis, D., Raisman, G., InyoSwan, D., Davis, A., Levi, S., Rogers, I., Bergeron, E. 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) Westat, Inc. 1650 Research Blvd. 11. Contract or Grant No. Rockville, MD 20850 DTNH22-02-D-65121 Task Order 001 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 13. Type of Report and Period Covered Office of Research and Technology National Highway Traffic Safety Administration U.S. Department of Transportation Washington, DC 20590 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes Paul J. Tremont, Ph.D. was the NHTSA Project Officer for this study. 16. Abstract The use of Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) to reduce traffic speeds in school zones was demonstrated at five neighborhood schools in Portland, OR, during a two-month period. ASE was deployed at each demonstration school zone an average of two to three times per week during this period. The program was well publicized through a public information and education campaign that was conducted prior to and during the demonstration. Speeds were measured at the five demonstration school zones and at five comparison school zones before, during, and after the demonstration. Public awareness was measured before and during the ASE demonstration. Major findings follow: • Mean and 85th percentile speeds at demonstration school zones were reduced by approximately 5 mph when ASE was present, and ASE still had an effect (although reduced to 1 to 2 mph) when ASE was not present. The proportion of traffic that exceeded the speed limit by more than 10 mph was reduced by about two-thirds when ASE was present, and by about one-quarter when ASE was not present. • Maximum speed reduction was obtained with the combination of ASE and a flashing beacon, which is used during certain hours at many Portland school zones. • The speed reduction effects observed at the demonstration school zones were still present one month after ASE operations ceased in May 2005. • Speeds at most of the comparison locations were unchanged during this test, indicating that the speed reductions at demonstration schools were attributable to the ASE program. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Automated speed enforcement, school zones, speed management No restriction. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161 19. Security Classification (of this report) 20. Security Classification (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized Table of Contents Section Page EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................... 1 1. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................ 7 1.1 Objectives.............................................................................................................. 7 1.2 Background ........................................................................................................... 7 1.3 School Zone Safety............................................................................................... 8 1.4 Automated Speed Enforcement ........................................................................... 8 2. METHODS........................................................................................................................ 8 2.1 City Selection and Local Government and Police Support Coordination......... 8 2.2 School Zone Selection.......................................................................................... 9 2.3 Public Information and Education Activities...................................................... 11 2.3.1 PI&E Issues ............................................................................................. 11 2.3.2 PI&E Goals and Activities ..................................................................... 12 2.4 Enforcement Procedures at Demonstration and Comparison Schools.............. 14 2.5 Speed Measurements ............................................................................................ 18 2.6 Assessment of Public Awareness and Attitudes................................................. 18 3. RESULTS .......................................................................................................................... 19 3.1 Speeds.................................................................................................................... 19 3.1.1 Mean and 85th Percentile Speeds............................................................ 19 3.1.2 Proportions Exceeding Speed Limit By Various Thresholds............... 21 3.2 Speed Limit Violations......................................................................................... 24 3.3 Public Awareness and Attitudes .......................................................................... 25 4. FINDINGS......................................................................................................................... 28 4.1 Speeds.................................................................................................................... 28 4.1.1 Mean and 85th Percentile Speeds............................................................ 28 4.1.1.1 Treatment School Zones ........................................................... 28 4.1.1.2 Comparison School Zones ........................................................ 28 Table of Contents (continued) Section Page 4.1.2 Proportions of Vehicles Over the Speed Limit ..................................... 29 4.1.2.1 Treatment School Zones ........................................................... 29 4.1.2.2 Comparison School Zones ........................................................ 29 4.2 Public Information and Education....................................................................... 29 4.3 Public Awareness and Attitudes .......................................................................... 31 5. CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................... 32 5.1 Speeds.................................................................................................................... 32 5.2 Public Awareness and Attitudes .......................................................................... 32 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 32 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 School Sites and Conditions............................................................................................ 9 2 ASE Hours of Deployment by Week and Site ............................................................... 15 3 ASE Device Violators (V) and Nonviolators (N) at Demonstration School Zones ................................................................................................................................. 25 4 Proportions of Vehicles Exceeding Threshold for Enforcement................................... 25 Table of Contents (continued) LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 ASE Demonstration and Comparison School Locations............................................... 10 2 ASE Unit in Operation..................................................................................................... 16 3. Detail of ASE Equipment ................................................................................................ 17 4 ASE Enforcement and Flashing Beacon Signage .......................................................... 17 5 Mean Speeds Averaged Across All Demonstration Sites by Beacon and Test Condition (ASE Presence or Absence)............................................................................................. 19 6 85th Percentile Speeds Averaged Across All Demonstration Sites by Beacon and Test Condition (ASE Presence or Absence) ........................................................................... 20 7 Mean Speeds Averaged Across All Comparison Sites by Beacon Condition.............. 21 8 85th Percentile Speeds Averaged Across All Comparison Sites by Beacon Condition 21 9 Proportions Exceeding Speed Limit by More Than 5 mph Averaged Across All Demonstration Sites by Beacon and Test Condition (ASE Presence or Absence) ...... 22 10 Proportions Exceeding Speed Limit by More Than 10 mph Averaged Across All Demonstration Sites by Beacon and Test Condition (ASE Presence or Absence) ...... 22 11 Proportions Exceeding Speed Limit by More Than 15 mph Averaged Across All Demonstration Sites by Beacon and Test Condition (ASE Presence or Absence) ...... 23 12 Proportions Exceeding Speed Limit by More Than 5 mph Averaged Across All Comparison Sites by Beacon Condition ......................................................................... 23 13 Proportions Exceeding Speed Limit by More Than 10 mph Averaged Across All comparison sites by beacon condition ............................................................................ 24 14 Proportions Exceeding Speed Limit by More Than 15 mph Averaged Across All Comparison Sites by Beacon