The Fox Lake Village Board unanimously approved a resolution last week to purchase a new trailer-mounted speed alert and message board unit for use by the public safety department.
The mobile unit will make drivers aware of exceeding the speed limit, while also collecting data that will assist with the department’s traffic enforcement program.
The board’s decision hinged on selecting one of three bids submitted for the purchase order. The department staff’s recommendation to accept the Herdon, Virginia-based firm of All Traffic Solutions Inc. quote for $18,745 for the unit was accepted.
Fox Lake Police Chief Jimmy Lee stated the purpose of the acquisition in an agenda memorandum to the full board. “Staff is requesting the purchase of a new speed alert trailer which also has the capability to collect speed data to include volume of vehicles, speed of vehicles and time of day. This data can be analyzed to determine selective traffic enforcement needs, traffic studies for traffic-calming measures, and traffic analysis by other departments for business development information.
“The data collection and report capabilities will allow the police department to report back to citizens (about) actual vehicle traffic conditions in their neighborhoods. Accurate speed and volume information will substantially increase the service level related to neighborhood traffic enforcement,” he wrote.
The unit also has a message board which can convey information to the community regarding road information, whether stationed in a specific area or well-traveled thoroughfare. The village’s current speed alert trailer has limited functional capabilities beyond making approaching motorists aware of their vehicle speed. The equipment’s age similarly entered into the equation.
“This device does not issue citations and enforcement of a violation cannot be initiated based on the data collected,” Lee said. “It allows us … analysis on the volume and speed of vehicles, and time of day when potential violations may be present. Then, based on that information, we can assign an officer to conduct a directed patrol to enforce violation they observe in a traditional manner.”
Lee added that the data can be employed by other agencies for traffic safety and engineering studies to establish appropriate speed limits or a warrant for traffic control devices, such as a stop sign or signal. Additional data usage could extend to commercial developers by supplying car counts on peak and low-traffic periods, prior to starting a project.
The only fixed traffic enforcement tool within the municipality are red light speed camera installations, located on the southbound and westbound lanes of routes 12 and 134.
“Statistics in a June 2020 report showed a 27.6% reduction in the number of accidents over the last three years there. Signal timings and settings are done by the Illinois Department of Transportation, being state highways,” Lee said. He also indicated that violations are evidenced by photo and video, which negates a “he said-she said” issue that may develop during a routine court proceeding, following a traffic stop.
