Our community has three solar-powered radar-enabled signs that flash the speed as a vehicle approaches. The purpose is to make drivers aware when they are driving at speeds above the posted limits.

In Hunt Club, they are on northbound Paul Anka Drive approaching Uplands Drive, northbound McCarthy Road north of the Plante intersection, and eastbound Uplands Drive across from Uplands Park. All are two-lane roads. Two others, just north of our community, cover both directions on Riverside Drive, a four-lane road with higher speeds.

I was unaware that they also record each event for statistical purposes. No camera is involved so vehicles cannot be identified. Thanks to a request to Councillor Riley Brockington’s office, I was able to get statistics from the Uplands Drive sign for each day in 2020.

Total counts for each week show the remarkable reduction in traffic in the Spring owing to the COVID-19 lockdown. Vehicle counts typically over 10,000 per week fell to less than half. Perhaps like me when you had to get out you found driving an absolute joy!

Throughout the year Friday is the busiest day on the roads; Sunday is quietist. Friday 21 August was the busiest day of the year.

The radar-enabled sign record isn’t perfect, likely due to equipment malfunctions as shown by lower traffic volumes for Week 3 and twice toward the end of the year.

Three-quarters of all vehicles approaching the sign were adhering to the 50 Km/hr speed limit. All but 15 percent were travelling at less than 53 Km/hr. You save fuel and reduce emissions by driving smoothly and avoiding hard acceleration. Overall, the data shows a large majority of drivers on Uplands Drive observing the speed limit. But there are others.

Coming soon, an article on speeding and driving in hazardous weather on Uplands Drive.