Colorado’s school zones are getting a safety upgrade with Carmanah’s solar-powered beacons. Part of a Safe Routes to School project funded by the Federal Highway Administration, Carmanah’s R829C solar beacons will be placed above school zone signs and programmed to flash at times when children are expected to be present, such as before and after school, lunchtime, and recess.
The flashing lights will help remind drivers that they are in a school zone while drawing attention to important speed limit and safety signs.
The SRTS program is a Federal-Aid program of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Designed to help make walking and biking to school a safer activity, the program provides funding for a wide variety of projects that improve school-zone safety, including the implementation of solar beacons. Research has shown that flashing beacons can decrease vehicle speeds by five to seven miles per hour in school zones*, making them an important part of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiatives.
Requiring no trenching, cabling or wiring, Carmanah solar-powered beacons install quickly and easily with no connection to the electrical grid and no maintenance for up to five years. With budget often being a concern for schools, the long-term cost benefits of using a solar-powered solution makes the school zone beacons an affordable, economical choice.
Carmanah’s solar beacons support Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiatives and are well suited for funding under the new Federal Safe Routes to School Program.
*Saibel, Salzberg, Doane, Moffat. Vehicle Speeds in School Zones, Washington State Traffic Commission Research.
