New radar system will help curb traffic in Millersburg
Millersburg Council recently passed legislation authorizing installation of radar-controlled traffic light timing devices at the intersection near Wal-Mart on Washington Street as a pilot project.
As a high traffic center of Holmes County, Millersburg sees a considerable volume of vehicles of every description flowing through town, and the village council is taking steps to address traffic concerns and the infrastructure required for the foreseeable future by installing new traffic light sensing and timing technology.
Millersburg Council recently passed legislation authorizing installation of radar-controlled traffic light timing devices at the intersection near Wal-Mart on Washington Street as a pilot project.
Millersburg Village administrator Nate Troyer said the system currently in place for triggering traffic light changes is a loop-type configuration. “Loop detectors work by sensing when anything metal moves into its detection zone. That triggers a countdown for the signal to change. It’s a basic triggering device that can’t take into account what’s happening on the street at that moment, except that there is something within its loop,” he said.
The new radar system would see the radar devices mounted on traffic light masts or poles overhead. “The radar is constantly scanning, bouncing off vehicles. This system is far more sophisticated in sensing exactly what is entering the intersection and how much associated traffic flow surrounds it,” Troyer said.
This is particularly helpful in a place like Millersburg, where the traffic is in no way limited to automobiles.
“The radar can sense when a pedestrian is coming into the intersection, or if it’s someone on a bicycle, or if it’s a tractor, a trucking company rig or a horse and buggy,” Troyer said.
While a look at the costs for the two systems may make radar systems seem like a major expense when compared to the older loop systems, Troyer explained the cost variable isn’t that large overall when factoring in repairs and maintenance.
“The loop system costs from $1,500-$1,700 each,” he said, “but you have to remember you need eight of them per intersection to make it work. So that jumps it pretty quickly to around $16,000 to do an intersection with loops.”
Troyer pointed out the loops are installed underground in the street, so maintenance costs can be high. “Any time the pavement is disturbed or broken or resurfaced, the loop usually gets disturbed or cut. They require attention and expense over time,” he said.
A radar system is simple to install, and Troyer said, “The claims are that it’s pretty much maintenance free. Unless the pole is taken out in a traffic accident or something, you really don’t have to do anything after installation,” he said.
The cost of installing radar-sensing units in an intersection is “around $25,000-$27,000,” Troyer said.
Funding for the pilot project comes from the village’s vehicle registration permissive tax fund, earmarked for anything traffic-related in the village.
Troyer said the radar-controlled technology is at the forefront of current traffic control and should last for years to come.
“And in the future we’ll be able to do things like allow the system to adjust for traffic flow in all directions. Our goal is to have all the lights in town communicating in such a way that a heavy traffic volume in one part of town can be anticipated in another with adjustments made in real time,” he said.
Troyer said council was very supportive of the effort, voting unanimously for the new technology. “We realize we have a great deal of traffic through town, and we need to maintain the right kind of infrastructure to keep up with that. And that traffic is increasing every year,” he said.
Those who might become alarmed at the word “radar” have no need to worry about future plans to use the technology for traffic enforcement. “Traffic count is really the only other thing this would be used for. No one in the village administration, as far as I’m aware, has any interest in using this for red light enforcement or anything like that in any way,” Troyer said.
The next step is to line up a contractor and begin the installation process, which Troyer said will take no more than three to five days once contracts are in place. “This is a long-term project,” he said. "It will take time to do the whole village. This is the first step.”