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OTY OF SOUTH BEND -V <br />School Zone Flashing Beacons at 39 Schools Safety Improvements (Des. 1801240) �Fw ,.. <br />The VS Team is led by professionals who understand the <br />purpose of this project is to improve pedestrian safety <br />near schools across the City. When school is in session, <br />accurate and clear school zone communication is critical in <br />keeping pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers safe. With new <br />technologies, school zone flasher systems have become <br />much more convenient to install, maintain and manage. <br />Advancement in recent years have included: <br />►► LED Beacons - increase visibility, provide longer lasting <br />"bulbs" and reduce power demand <br />►► Internal Cell Modems - maintain constant <br />communication with a central system and local school <br />►► Battery and Solar Monitoring - provides status and <br />health of batteries and solar panels to allow for <br />proactive repair and replacement <br />►► Email and TextAlerts - provides the end user with real- <br />time information on power, beacon or battery failure <br />►► Remote Updates - cloud based systems allow for <br />remote updates with new features and functionality <br />►► Radar Speed Data - optional, providing reports from <br />radar devices mounted to school speed zone sign <br />Technology is constantly changing which will only enhance <br />the reliability and end user interface of school zone <br />flashers. The effectiveness of these devices is proven <br />through multiple studies conducted by government <br />organizations that have been found to reduce drivers' <br />speed more than 5 to 7 mph on roads with speed limits of <br />30 to 40 mph when flashers were present versus school <br />zone signs alone. <br />City of South Bend Project Manager(s) conducted a <br />thorough needs assessment in determining the 39 highest <br />priority school locations of the 109 schools city-wide. The <br />needs assessment identified road functional classification, <br />posted speed limit and installation of existing school zone <br />flashing beacons for all bordering streets of the school. <br />This analysis provided an objective decision making <br />matrix to maximize the available $750,000 construction <br />funding. The project will result in installation of 150 solar <br />powered school zone speed flashers at specified locations, <br />increasing the safety of students, staff, other pedestrians, <br />as well as motorists on the nearby streets. <br />In the rare event where a solar powered flasher is not <br />feasible, Project Manager Mark Herald, PE and his staff <br />will coordinate with City and NIPSCO officials in determine <br />the best access to electric power. Mark and his team <br />are well versed in design and inspection of these types <br />of pedestrian safety improvement projects as he has <br />completed similar projects for the City of Fort Wayne, <br />City of Indianapolis, City of Bloomington and other <br />communities across Indiana. <br />PROJECT UNDERSTANDING & APPROACH • 2 <br />