Application guidelines for speed display devices released

The Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) has released Application Guidelines for Speed Display Devices to provide transportation practitioners with general guidelines, criteria, considerations and viable options upon which to build jurisdiction-specific policies and standards.

Speed display devices (SDD) measure the speed of approaching vehicles, typically with radar, and display the measured speed. They can be temporary or permanent installations, used at speed-sensitive locations with the intention of reducing vehicle speed.

Already being used in jurisdictions across Canada to increase driver awareness of speed limits and provide instant feedback to motorists about the speed being travelled, the dynamic speed display signs are an effective speed-reduction tool.

The new guidelines publication was developed through a literature review and encourage uniformity in the application of devices. TAC suggests the guidelines are best used in conjunction with the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Canada (MUTCDC).

The publication, priced at $59 for TAC members ($79 for non-members), is available in both print and e-book formats, while a primer, Speed Display Devices, providing a brief overview of speed display devices, is available for free on TAC’s website.