Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Sachse approves of parking restrictions around school zones

By Pegasus News wire

SACHSE — On July 7, the Sachse City Council approved an ordinance stating that it is unlawful to drive or operate a motor vehicle in a school zone on official school days during hours when the school zones are in effect while using a hand-held mobile telephone to engage in a call or to create, send or read messages or data. Once signage is in place, the new ordinance will take effect. This is a ticketable offense.

NEW PARKING ORDINANCE NEAR SCHOOL IN EFFECT

Sachse City Council recently approved a restricted parking ordinance in the 4300 and 4400 blocks of Haverhill Lane, Briarcrest Lane and Hunters Ridge Drive between the hours of 7:00 am and 3:00 pm on school days. Residents voiced concerns to City Council regarding blocked streets, blocked mailboxes to the point of preventing mail delivery, mailboxes stuffed with student garbage as well as littering and minor vandalism in these areas. Officials considered several solutions before enacting the ordinance. The new parking restrictions will still allow residents access to public street parking in front of their homes in the evenings, on weekends, and during the summers. Signs have been posted throughout the neighborhood alerting everyone to the new restrictions. Offenders will be issued warning stickers at first, followed by citations that carry up to a $200 fine.

NEW TRAFFIC SAFETY DEVICE HELPS WITH SPEED CONTROL

The Sachse Police Department added a piece of equipment to its arsenal that will help educate drivers and enforce speed laws. The police unveiled a Traffic Display Monitoring device, or a radar trailer, that will enhance speed-limit awareness and promote traffic safety.

Police Chief Dennis Veach states that the radar trailer contains an actual radar unit that measures the speed of oncoming vehicles and displays their speed on large LED panels. The driver may become aware of errors in their speedometer and/or can make adjustments in their driving behavior.

Veach said the unit will be a great benefit because it can be used in school zones and on residential streets for long periods of time and it does slow the traffic down. The trailer's first assignments will be streets where there have been numerous complaints of speeding.

The radar trailer is a capital item approved by the City Council in this year’s budget. It is battery operated, so it does need to be brought in daily for recharging, but also has a solar panel that helps keep it charged during sunlit days. The trailer will work year-round in a wide range of weather conditions.

Not only does the trailer display the speed of the approaching vehicles, it also records the various range of speeds on a data collector. That data can be downloaded and analyzed later for use in traffic studies. As shown in reports from other cities, the trailer will also allow the department to give additional attention to reported problem areas without committing additional manpower.

Sachse Police Department encourages citizens to call in speeding complaints as they have in the past. An officer will be sent or the radar trailer will be set up, whichever is available at the time.

If you have an area of concern and would like to request a location for the trailer, please contact Lt. Marty Cassidy at mcassidy@cityofsachse.com or (972) 495-2271 x204. Requests will be handled on a “first come, first serve” basis as the trailer is available.

Source: City of Sachse

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