The Ohio Department of Transportation recently removed flashing signals at two Licking County intersections and replaced them with radar-based systems that it says will help prevent crashes and improve road safety in those areas.
ODOT installed the systems along Ohio 16 at Marne and Licking Valley roads in Jacksontown. According to ODOT, the new devices help decrease red-light crashes and are more advanced than the “prepare to stop when flashing signs,” which it says were outdated.
Some Licking County residents, however, expressed concerns about the change on social media. Some said they felt the signals are safer and helpful during winter while others opined removing them could lead to more crashes. The discourse prompted ODOT to outline its reasoning for the switch.
Here’s why ODOT made the change.
ODOT has been removing the signs for years
The change is nothing new for ODOT. In 2012, the agency said it would phase out the flashing signs across the state, citing data that show drivers speed up to make the light rather than slow down when the signals activate.
That year, ODOT placed the radar traffic detectors at two Fairfield County intersections. ODOT data show that crashes decreased in 2012 compared to 2011 in both areas.
At Ohio 32 and Dela Palma Road in Clermont County, another area where the signs were removed and the radar system added, crashes and ones that led to injury also decreased in recent years, according to ODOT.
In its explanation, ODOT stated that drivers’ decisions to speed up rather than slow down when the signals activate lead to “more high-speed, severe crashes.”
The agency reported seeing 23% fewer total crashes and 35% fewer serious crashes in Ohio areas where it implemented the radar system. It also reported a 50% decrease of red-light crashes and rear-end crashes with injuries in those locations.
We've received questions about why we upgraded two signals in Licking County to newer and safer technology. To...
Posted by Ohio Department of Transportation East Central Ohio District 5 on Thursday, August 8, 2024
ODOT cites crash data at Licking County intersections
According to ODOT data, 37 crashes happened at Ohio 16 and Licking Valley Road between 2019 and 2023. Of those crashes, 14% led to injuries and 30 were rear-enders.
During that same timeframe, 21 crashes happened at Ohio 16 and Marne Road, 38% of which resulted in injuries. Most of the crashes were rear-enders, and a person ran a red light in six of them.
ODOT data show that the Marne Road intersection serves a similar amount of vehicles per day — around 26,500 — as Ohio 32 and Dela Palma Road in Clermont County. Both are also four-lane roadways, ODOT stated.
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Radar system makes intersections safer, ODOT says
The radars track a vehicle’s speed, range and estimated time of arrival at an intersection, according to Wavetronix, the company behind the devices . It can detect vehicles up to 900 feet away and those in the “dilemma zone,” which is when the traffic light turns yellow and the driver becomes indecisive about whether to stop or go.
If the vehicle’s ETA places it in the dilemma zone, the green light is extended, regardless of its speed, according to the company. The radars reportedly are designed to withstand snow, rain and fog, among other weather conditions, and continue operating when road conditions affect drivability.
Advocate reporter Josué Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com .
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: ODOT replaced two Licking County flashing traffic signals with new technology. Here's why
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