TRIAL OF A SPEED INFORMATION SIGN

This trial was proposed in 1988 by The Speed Management Strategy Implementation Committee of Victoria, with representatives from VIC ROADS, Victoria Police and the Transport Accident Commission. It was to determine the effect on vehicle speeds of two electronic signs displaying: "DRIVERS NOT SPEEDING LAST WEEK --%". The signs were placed facing both directions of traffic on Beach Road, Sandringham, near the junction with New Street, from 19 March to 21 May 1990. Vehicle speed was measured using the Golder River Traffic Classifiers. The trial was based on the premiss that reduced speed results in reduced accident injury and possibly fewer road accidents. It was found that when the sign was up, fewer vehicles exceeded the speed limit of 60 km/h. The greatest effect was the reduction in the percentage of vehicles exceeding 90 km/h but as in previous studies, vehicle speeds increased again on removal of the sign. It is not recommended that this sign be used again unless the procedure is simplified in a cost effective way and associated factors investigated.