Photo story: Radar-powered speed checkers raid the streets of Dallas

by John P. Meyer

DALLAS — I couldn't help but notice them as I navigated the back roads on my way to work a few weeks ago. They weren't there before.

They were numerous; they were official-looking; they were IN MY FACE, and they were telling me (*GASP!*) how fast I was going.

('Course, I knew that already. The speedometer on the dashboard was telling me the same thing. I paid good money for it when I bought the car -- not as an option, mind you, but as a built-in, mandatory expense.)

I'm talking about those portable speed check trailers, sometimes referred to as "speed awareness units," that use a radar gun to monitor your vehicle's approach, then flash your measured speed up onto a big LED readout for you (and other drivers in the vicinity) to see. You are SO busted, Speed Racer!

The theory here seems to be that many people become complacent in their driving habits and don't give much thought to how fast they're traveling in relation to the posted speed limit. Let's face it: There are no Autobahns in North Texas (even though some drivers insist on demonstrating that they're ignorant of the fact).

So, back to my trip to work: I passed two of the portable speed check trailers (one facing in each direction) on Royal Lane as I drove west from Audelia that morning. I then noticed two more when I drove home later that day on a slightly more southerly route along Walnut Hill. It wasn't until a few days later that I noticed one parked just a few blocks away from my house, at Peavy and Northlake.

What was going on here? The invasion of the radar people? I had to find out what was behind this sudden proliferation of speed check units.

A call to Dale Long, community outreach coordinator for the Dallas Public Works and Transportation Department (DPWTD), revealed that the units can be deployed at the request of city council members or ordinary citizens. They can also be positioned by the Dallas Police Department (DPD) in areas where officers have observed a regular pattern of drivers exceeding the speed limit.

"It's an eye-opener," said Long. "You may think you're driving the speed limit, but you look and see that you're over by a couple of MPH."

Kerry Elder, transportation planner at DPWTD, confirmed that the units can remain in position for time periods ranging from just a few days to as long as a month or more. Public Works has around seven units available for deployment, Elder stated. (They are occasionally out of commission for service; thus the "around" modifier). He estimates that they cost the city around $8K - $10K apiece.

But, wait a minute -- seven units? Heck, I'd seen five of 'em in a couple days time. Was Northeast Dallas the only area of town getting the radar speed-estimating trailer treatment?

Acting on Long's tip that Dallas Police had some units under their control, I contacted Sr. Cpl. Kevin Janse at DPD Media Relations. Janse informed me that one or more units were available to each DPD substation.

"The speed trailers are used between enforcement efforts by officers," Janse explained. "An officer will write citations for a few days, put the sign out, then come back out there, and will often times see a reduction in the number of citations they write.

"The signs have been proven to be effective if only to remind people to check their speed," Janse concluded.

Gaston at Country Club: one of the non-transportable permanent units

Pauline Medrano, Dallas City Council member representing District 2, did some checking at my request to discover just how many units are owned and operated by the city. Oddly, that specific number seems to be somewhat indeterminate, but Medrano confirmed that it is "less than 20." She told me that any citizen may request to have a radar speed check unit placed on a specific thoroughfare, and that probably the most effective means of expediting such a request would be for them to contact their DPD substation directly. The request will then be put into a rotation for placement.

Medrano considers the units to be "very effective," and notes that there's a deterrent factor connected with the perception by drivers that -- suddenly -- "there's something going on here. Maybe I'd better slow down."

Eager to discover where other units had been sighted around town, I canvassed my fellow Pegnewsers to see whether they'd seen any in the course of their travels. I received other reports on units in the Park Cities and Plano, but since this story deals with Dallas I'm limiting the sighting report just to Big D proper.

CONFIRMED RECENT DALLAS SIGHTINGS:

* Peavy Rd. at Northlake (relocated as of this writing)

* Audelia at Forestridge

* Walnut Hill at Fieldcrest (relocated)

* Garland Rd. near the entrance to the Dallas Arboretum (periodic placement)

* Canton St., near the DPD central division substation (periodic placement)

Alert Pegasus News Account Rep Tasha Mack noted that there was a permanent unit emplaced in a speed limit sign on Gaston Ave. at Country Club (eastbound). Which opens up a whole new reportage ball of wax. Since those in the city's driver's seats are convinced that the speed check readouts are doing some good, how long will it be before the permanent units replace the transportable ones in areas where speeding scofflaws routinely put pedal to metal?

Don't hesitate to report in if you've noticed one (or more) of these speed checker trailers in your drive around town recently. Maybe there's more of 'em out there than anyone knows about.

(Maybe they're reproducing.)