Crothersville purchases solar-powered speed tracking sign

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CROTHERSVILLE

The Crothersville Town Council hopes a recent purchase will slow motorists down on a busy street.

During a meeting earlier this month, the five members approved a spending request to buy a solar-powered speed tracking sign for $2,939 from Kleem Inc. of West Chester, Ohio.

The speed-activated digit color will change if a motorist is going over the speed limit on the street. Below the flashing speed, a “Slow down” message also will appear.

The expense will come out of the general fund, council President Danieta Foster said.

“This came about as a result of our searching for solutions to the speeding problem on West Main Street,” she said. “We have talked about it a few times in meetings. It was a collaboration of council, police and street (departments) searching for a solution.”

In June, Councilman Jason Hillenburg proposed changing the intersection of Main and Kovener streets from a two-way stop to a four-way stop to slow traffic down in the area. He lives near the intersection.

Main Street often has semitrailer traffic going to and from local industries, and Hillenburg said not all motorists adhere to the 30 mph speed limit between the stop signs at the S-curve and the four-way stop at Bethany Road. The Main and Kovener intersection is between those two stops.

When the first reading of an ordinance was introduced during the July 7 meeting, Councilman Jamy Greathouse said he and some other council members had discussed the proposal with the Crothersville Police Department. The consensus was that the four-way stop wasn’t the answer to the issue.

Greathouse said one issue on that stretch of the street is lack of signage, such as speed limit signs or Children at Play signs. Installing those types of signs could slow people down, he said.

The ordinance was tabled, and after giving it some additional thought, the council decided to purchase a speed tracking sign.

“We will only be buying one sign at this time,” Foster said. “The sign can be moved if this solution works on Main Street and we find a new trouble spot.”

The other council members like the mobility of the sign.

“It would be something that we would be able to relocate for specific incidents or ideas,” Greathouse said.

“I like the idea,” council Vice President Chad Wilson said before making a motion to purchase the sign. “I like it especially that we can move it to the other locations, as well, throughout the town.”

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