Report
Wigtown Area Committee
7 October
PERFORMANCE OF DRIVER FEEDBACK SIGNS
I. Purpose of Report
To update members on the performance of the Driver Feedback Signs (these are signs
which display a vehicle’s approach speed and warn when the driver is exceeding the
speed limit in order to reduce speeding)
2.
Recommendations
Members are asked to note:-
2.1 the progress made in purchasing and deploying mobile and permanent driver
feedback signs as detailed in sections 3.1 and 3.2 below; an
2.2 that the speed results show a reduction in speed at all monitored sites, although the
effectiveness of the signs varied significantly as detailed in section 3.3 below.
3.
Considerations
3.1 Two mobile driver feedback signs have been operational in Wigtown Area since April
2009. These have been moved between fourteen sites as recorded in Appendix I.The
speed limit at all the sites is 30mph except at Stoneykirk where it is 40mph.
3.2 At the meeting of 3 June 2010 Wigtown Area Committee allocated E15,000 funding
for four driver feedback signs at Kirkinner, Kirkcolm, Monreith and Sorbie. These four signs
were in operation by 18 August 2010. They are now permanent so the mobile signs can be
moved less frequently between the remaining 10 sites which will reduce costs and
increase their effectiveness. The proposed timetable for the mobile signs for 2010/2011 is
given in Appendix 2.
3.3 The traffic counters were used to monitor the speed of traffic before the signs were
deployed and when they were on site. The results are given in Appendix 3. Due to
difficulties in downloading and recording the data from new traffic counters earlier in the
year not all the sites were monitored. There was a reduction in average speed at all the
monitored sites when the signs were in use. Monreith South, Whithorn South, Sorbie and
Kirkinner showed a significant reduction in both average speed and in the 85th percentile
speed. A reduction of 8 mph was measured at Monreith South but the average reduction in
the mean speed for all the sites was 2mph.
3.4 In conclusion, the signs are an affordable tool to target excessive speed, however,
they are not able to achieve full compliance with the speed limits where there is a
significant problem. Where speeding is known to be a problem this is reported to the police
at quarterly liaison meetings with the Local Roads Service and a joint approach to
enforcement and engineering options is agreed subject to available resources. Other
issues such as the accident record are also considered.
4. Governance Assurance
The Chief Constable, Area Manager Wigtown and the Operations Manager of
Infrastructure and Transportation (Planning and Environmental Services) have been
consulted in the preparation of this report and are in agreement with the information
contained in this report.
6-
Wigtown Area Committee
7 October 2010
5.
Impact Assessment
As this report does not propose a change in policy, the formal adoption of a plan, policy or
strategy it is not necessary to complete an impact assessment.
NAME
DESIGNATION
CONTACT DETAILS
Dave McRobert
Principal Roads
Services Officer
(Wigtown), DGFirst
Dave. m c robe rt@dumga I.gov. uk
NAME
DESIGNATION
Geoff Lewis
Managing Director,
DGFirst
tel. no. 01776 707500
SIGNATURE
Appendices
Appendix 1 - Deployment of Mobile Driver Feedback Signs 2009/2010
Appendix 2 - Proposed Deployment of Mobile Driver Feedback Signs 2010/2011
Appendix 3 - Results of Speed Monitoring at sites 2010
Background Papers
Report on Performance of Driver Feedback Signs to Wigtown Area Committee 7
January 2010
APPENDIX 1
DRIVER FEEDBACK SIGNS
Site Ref
No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
- DATES SIGNS DEPLOYED IN 2009/10
Location
Date Sign Deployed
Kirkcolm A71 8 - South
Portpatrick A77 - North -East
Portwilliam A747 - North
Portwilliam A747 - South
Monreith A747 - North
Monreith A747 - South
Whithorn A746 - North
Whithorn A746 - South
Sorbie A746 - South
Whauphill B7085 - South -West
Braehead A746 - North
Kirkinner A746 - North
Stoneykirk A716 - North
Stoneykirk A716 - South
6 March 2009
8 April 2009
8 June 2009 & 27 August 2010
8 June 2009 & 27 August 2010
24 Julv 2009
24 Jul; 2009
01 October 2009
01 October 2009
01 December 2009
01 December 2009
5 February 2010
5 February 2010
30 April 2010
22 March 2010
APPENDIX 2
MOBILE DRIVER FEEDBACK SIGNS
PROPOSED DATES FOR SIGNS TO BE DEPLOYED IN 2010/2011
Site Ref
No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Location
Kirkcolm A71 8 - South
Portpatrick A77 - North -East
Portwilliam A747 - North
Portwilliam A747 - South
Monreith A747 - North
Monreith A747 - South
Whithorn A746 - North
Whithorn A746 - South
Sorbie A746 - South
Whauphill B7085 - South - West
Kirkinner A746 - South
Kirkinner A746 - North
Stoneykirk A71 6 - North
Stoneykirk A71 6 - South
Date Sign Deployed
(week commencing)
Now permanent
7 March 201 1
23 August 2010
23 August 2010
10 January 201 1
NOW permanent
01 November 2010
01 November 2010
Now permanent
10 January 201 1
New permanent location
7 March 201 1
9 May 2011
APPENDIX 3
DRIVER FEEDBACK SIGNS
- RESULTS OF SPEED COUNTS
Site Location
Ref
No
Mean
Speed
before
sign
(mph)
I
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Kirkcolm A71 8 - S
Portpatrick A77 - NE
Portwilliam A747 - N
Portwilliam A747 - S
Monreith A747 - N
Monreith A747 - S
Whithorn A746 - N
Whithorn A746 - S
Sorbie A746 - S
Whauphill B7085 -
11
12
13
14
Braehead A746 - N
Kirkinner A746 - N
Stoneykirk A716 - N
Stoneykirk A716 - S
sw
-
39.5
Mean
Speed
with
sign
(mph)
-
31.5
I
8
-
-
-
26.1
31.2
24.5
28.6
1.6
2.6
l-
33.6
29.7
39.4
32.5
l-
l-
33.2
27.5
38.6
31
Location
Site Ref
No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
I14
Average
Reduction
in speed
(mph)
Kirkcolm A71 8 - South
Portpatrick A77 - North East
Portwilliam A747 - North
Portwilliam A747 - South
Monreith A747 - North
Monreith A747 - South
Whithorn A746 - North
Whithorn A746 - South
Sorbie A746 - South
Whauphill B7085 - South West
Braehead A746 - North
Kirkinner A746 - North
Stoneykirk A716 - North
Stoneykirk A716 - South
0.4
2.2
0.8
1.5
85% Speed
before sign
(mph)
-
-
-
50
44
-
-
32
38
29
34
-
I
85% Speed
with sign
(mph)
40
35
45
38
-
39
31
44
I35
The 85% speed is that which is exceeded by 15% of drivers and is chosen to
give a realistic indication of when a significant number of drivers are
exceeding the speed limit. It should be noted that a low percentage of drivers
will generally exceed the speed limit on most A and B class roads.