Eight counties | 36 cities | one region

Meramec Regional Planning Commission’s Ryan Dunwoody (left) and Chuck Cantrell position the Speed Awareness Monitor (SAM) trailer as Owensville City Administrator Nathan Schauf (right) watches. The trailer, which Schauf requested, displays current and violation speeds of vehicles passing by, while capturing the data on number of vehicles, times of travel and other information.

ST. JAMES—With the assistance of MoDOT grant funds, Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) recently acquired a Speed Awareness Monitor (SAM) Trailer. Using K-Band Doppler Radar, the trailer displays current and violation speeds of vehicles as they pass by and stores the data.

The trailer, powered by a solar panel which allows for a vast field of operations, can be very useful as a data collection tool to jurisdictional officials, planners, and law enforcement personnel. Traffic counts help determine the number, movements, and classifications of vehicles at a specified location. Moreover, a host of information becomes accessible when traffic count data is run through traffic analyst software housed at MRPC in St. James. Approximately 12 parameters and various graphs can then be shared with the requesting party.

Between March 17 and 31, the SAM trailer was deployed at two locations in Owensville. At the first location, the corner of Hwy 19 and E. Monroe Ave., the trailer recorded 21,821 vehicles in a seven-day period. Approximately 49 percent of those vehicles were traveling over the speed limit. At the second location, Hwy 19 and Hwy 28 across from Parker Drive, the traffic count totaled 62,048 vehicles over a seven-day period. Only five percent of those vehicles were traveling over the speed limit.  The SAM trailer was requested by Owensville City Administrator Nathan Schauf.

“We were really interested in getting speed data and also the vehicle counts for those particular locations,” Schauf said. “We really value the ability to use it.”

At this time, there is no thought of how the data will be used as Schauf is still reviewing and analyzing the data. Once the analysis is completed, results will be shared with the mayor, board, local law enforcement and available to the public upon request.

Questions concerning the application of the SAM trailer or to request the use of it, contact MRPC Environmental Programs Specialist Ryan Dunwoody at 573-265-2993 or by email at rdunwoody@meramecregion.org.

Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. A professional staff of 25, directed by the MRPC board, offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.

To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.orgor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.