From The Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — After conducting traffic studies on several high-traffic roadways in Trussville, the city approved to change speed limits on two of them.
The speed limit on Roper Road from Queenstown to the Moody city limit will be changed to 40 mph. The change was approved with a unanimous vote by the city council during a meeting on Thursday, July 9, 2020.
“It makes it more consistent and we did a traffic survey and the survey supports the speed limit to be 40 mph in that area,” said Police Chief Rush during the council’s work session.
The speed limit on Trussville Clay Road will also be changed, from Poplar Street to Memory Lane. The speed limit in the area is currently 25 mph and 30 mph. It will be changed to 35 mph. Rush said the current speed limit is outdated.
There are several other traffic studies underway throughout the city. The purpose is to ensure drivers are safe and comfortable with speed limits. As the population grows and traffic increases, the city is working to get ahead of foreseeable issues.
Over the past several months, new speed limit sign radars have been posted in various locations to conduct the surveys. After workers install the radars, the radars are left to count traffic and record speeds of drivers for several weeks. Rush said the city will then be able to gather the data in order to make informed decisions about speed limits and speed humps.
“The results of our studies help us pinpoint areas that qualify for speed humps,” Rush said. “We can also do traffic surveys to alter speed limits that are outdated.”
When conducting traffic studies, officials in Trussville have several options. There are speeds limit sign radars, portable radar trailers and MetroCount Traffic Tubes, which are placed across the road.
None of the traffic survey tools include cameras or enforcement features.
“We’re just doing traffic counts and speed surveys,” said Rush. “There is no video on these and nothing is taking pictures to send drivers tickets.”
If you would like a traffic study conducted in your area, contact Chief Rush or Capt. Dave Morette.