Richmond wants you to know where people are speeding most
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Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
Richmond is giving the public access to its speed data dashboard.
Why it matters: The city uses it to direct traffic engineers and planners where to focus their attention, and now they want drivers to use it to make safer choices.
The big picture: It's part of the city's years-long effort to make Richmond streets safer through its Vision Zero plan.
- Richmond has ramped up its safer street efforts in recent years in response to surging pedestrian deaths by adding school zone speed cameras and traffic calming measures, like back-in angle parking.
- The dashboard has existed for about a year, and Mayor Danny Avula decided to make it public as part of his administration's "commitment to transparency."
How it works: The data is compiled from locals' cell phone and car GPS systems, per a news release last week. It'll tell you where people are speeding in the city and how fast they're going.
- Take Semmes Avenue in South Richmond, where the posted speed limit is 30 mph. Per the dashboard, 85% of drivers there are going 31 mph or less.
- It's a different story over on the Fan's busy West Main Street, where the speed limit is 25 mph. Only 50% are hitting 26 mph or less.
The intrigue: The dashboard doesn't just show speeders. If you click around, you can find the places in town where drivers are crawling through the city.
- Take West Grace Street in the Fan, which, like Main, is pedestrian-heavy, but unlike Main, has narrower streets and more traffic-calming measures, like four-way stops.
- There, the posted speed limit is also 25 mph, but 95% of drivers are clocking in at 18 mph or under. 50% are going 13 mph or under.
Fun fact: 13 mph is just one tick higher than a "gentle breeze," per the National Weather Service.
Caveat: The dashboard shows the most recent two-month view available and will be updated monthly with new data from the vendor, city spokesperson Paige Hairston tells Axios.
What they're saying: "The noteworthy observation is the strong overlap between the High Injury Network and the streets with high speeds. People driving in Richmond need to slow down," she adds.
Zoom out: To visualize the impact of speeding and how it can make streets more dangerous, the city last week unveiled a 54-foot ladder at the Diamond.
- Falling off it would have the same effect as being hit by a car going 40 mph.
- "If this display gets even one person to slow down and save a life, it's worth every foot," Avula said in a statement.
Go deeper: To learn more about the city's streets, visit Richmond's Vision Zero Dashboard.