LAKE WORTH, FL -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 03/26/08 -- At the South Grade Elementary School in Lake Worth, Florida, crossing 8th Avenue South to get to school was a dangerous task for children. The school is located in a well-populated residential neighborhood. With the city's grid street system, cars were often speeding past the school to get through to other local streets. Many students cross 8th Ave South daily as the school's main pedestrian ingress and egress. The principal requested that traffic calming be put into place to protect the school's children.

The city used a unique application in mind for the South Grade school. The goal was to slow cars down with an effective traffic calming device while simultaneously providing a safe way for children arriving and leaving school to cross the street.

Several products were considered for the task. Lake Worth decided to use a speed table and reconfigure it to meet their requirements. Since the product would be used for schoolchildren to cross the street safely, it was important to the city that the table be level from one sidewalk to the other without any gaps or tripping hazards. In order to create this unique device, the product chosen needed to offer the flexibility necessary to be reconfigured. The Traffic Logix speed table was chosen as the best suited for the city's purpose.

In addition to the flexibility that the Traffic Logix speed table offered, John Lamb, the manager of the project, noted that he appreciated that while many rubber products require a structure beneath them, the Traffic Logix tables could be bolted right into the ground using a simple anchor system. He also pointed out that the enhanced visibility the products offered was an important selling point. The bright highway tape is particularly crucial at the school site to warn cars in advance and protect the safety of pedestrians. He also commented on the ease of installation the products offer. The installation was able to be done without many tools or a large crew and no street closures were necessary.

The way that the city constructed the solution using the 21' Traffic Logix speed table was to leave off the end caps which generally leave a gap between the street and the sidewalk. However, since the end caps are what provides drainage for the table, a separate drainage system was necessary. Metal grates were installed next to the sidewalk on both sides of the street and concrete curbing was placed between the grate and the table. This allows for any water to drain off the table into the grate while allowing the table to be flush across the street for safe crossing.

Local residents and school parents are happy with the table's effect on street safety. It effectively slows cars down while also allowing children to safely cross the street. Residents noted that the speed table is "eye-catching" and has been a very successful undertaking. Mr. Lamb noted that when the city installs asphalt products, they often receive complaints from residents that the products are an eyesore to the street's aesthetics. In addition, asphalt needs to be continually repainted as the paint fades and visibility becomes difficult. The rubber speed tables, on the other hand, have resulted in no complaints or problems. "It's highly visible," Mr. Lamb commented, "the residents and the kids both like it, and it works."

In addition to the speed table that has been installed at South Grade elementary school, Lake Worth has purchased several additional Traffic Logix speed humps. These humps will be installed on South Lake Side Drive to replace asphalt speed humps. The humps were removed recently when a utility project took place on the street. The new rubber products will offer the versatility of being able to be removed for repaving or additional utility work.

The city intends to continue to use the Traffic Logix products for additional traffic calming projects in the future.

* Please note: As per ADA regulations, Traffic Logix speed tables are not intended for use as crosswalks. Modifications should only be made in consultation with professional transportation engineers.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=723931

Contact:
Craig Timothy
Director of Business Development
Traffic Logix
Email Contact
(866) 915-6449