The roads department of Eagle Mountain City preforms several road studies during the year to evaluate city needs as well as to find/verify problem traffic areas. In 2019 the Eagle Mountain roads department demoed a radar system that is used for road studies. The system could be setup in an area that will collect car speed, size, and volume information. This radar was used in a test in the Hidden Hollow school zone on Pony Express. They also used the standard road tubes for the rest of the studies they did in 2019. Zac Hilton and his team work hard to make Eagle Mountain a safe place to drive. The city did 27 traffic studies in 2019.
Cedar Valley Sentinel (formerly i84005) has done a GRAMA request for the data associated with five of these traffic studies. We have included the results from these studies for different areas in Eagle Mountain. This article will use the term 85th Percentile Speed as a basis for tracking. “The 85th percentile is often used to determine speed limits for roads. The theory assumes that most drivers are reasonable and do not want to get in an accident, but do want to get to their destination as quickly as possible. Therefore, a speed at which 85 percent of people drive is figured to be the highest safe speed for that road.” [SOURCE]
The theory is, that most people will drive at the speed they feel safe traveling at, not necessarily the speed that is posted on the roadway. Tom Sohrweide, PE, PTOE, a senior traffic and project manager dedicated to safety and helping others understand complex topics, explains it this way in an article he wrote entitled, “The Truth About Speed Limits, Explained by an Engineer“. “There is no guarantee that a speed limit will have any effect on driving behaviors. The fact is, when driving, most motorists choose a speed in which they personally feel both comfortable and safe.” Tom continues, “Simply, a speed limit sign should not dictate speed. It should reflect how drivers are actually behaving on the road. When you want drivers to slow down, you change the road through traffic calming measures like speed bumps or even design narrower roads, both of which make speedy drivers less comfortable.”
The Federal Highway Administration has an online course anyone can take to understand traffic calming measures. “The primary purpose of traffic calming is to support the livability and vitality of residential and commercial areas through improvements in non-motorist safety, mobility, and comfort. These objectives are typically achieved by reducing vehicle speeds or volumes on a single street or a street network. Traffic calming measures consist of horizontal, vertical, lane narrowing, roadside, and other features that use self-enforcing physical or psycho-perception means to produce desired effects.”
Below are the results of five of the studies done in Eagle Mountain during 2019. The studies are several that were done on Eagle Mountain BLVD as well as Pony Express.
Hidden Hollow School Zone
Dec 5-11 2019 the speed study was done at the school zone located on Pony Express in front of Hidden Hollow Elementary. During the time frame there were 91,688 cars that were tracked by the study. Those included 541 small vehicles (motorcycle), 88,056 Medium sized vehicles (sedan), and 3,091 large sized vehicles (truck).
The Max Speed in this study was 89 MPH on 12/11/2019 at 10:36:02
Close to 60% of all traffic during the weekdays were clocked over the speed limit. That percentage increased to 73.7% on Saturdays and 71.6% on Sundays. There was a measurable drop in the average speeds when the school zones were active.
This study was done from June 18, 2019 to June 24, 2019.
During this 5 day period there were 6,611 cars that were recorded. The posted speed limit at this location is 45 mph. The 85% speed was 45.19 mph, with a median speed of 38.92 mph. 5435 (84.6%) of the cars traveled below the speed limit while 989 (15.5%) traveled above the speed limit. Highest recorded speed was 98.5 mph, with 1 (.016%) traveling between 93-99 mph followed by 1 (.016%) traveling between 81-87 mph. The next highest group was 75-81 mph with 8 (.125%) traveling at that speed.
…Study Documents (PDF)…
Pony Express Roundabout
This study was done from June 18 to June 26, 2019
During this 7 day study there were 42,040 vehicles monitored. That posted speed at this location is 35 mph. The 85% speed was 38.92, with a median speed of 34.56 mph. 2265 (54.1%) of the cars traveled below the speed limit while 19203 (45.9%) of the cars traveled above the speed limit. Highest recorded speed was 68.1 mph with 5 (.012%) cars traveling in that speed range of 62-68 mph.
…Study Documents (PDF)…
Eagle Mountain BLVD – S-Curve
This study was done from June 18 to June 26, 2019.
During this 7 Day study there were 67,566 vehicles recorded. The posted speed at this location is 45 mph. The 85% speed was 60.84 mph, with a median speed of 53.13 mph. 6394 (9.5%) of the cars traveled below the speed limit while 60687 (90.5%) of the cars traveled above the speed limit. Highest speed recorded was 99.4 mph, with 70 (.104%) vehicles driving between 93-99
…Study Documents (PDF)…
Eagle Mountain BLVD – Straight
This study was done from June 18 to June 26, 2019.
During this 7 day study there were 67,496 vehicles monitor. The posted speed at this location is 65 mph. The 85% speed was 68.23 mph, with a median speed of 62.86 mph. 44070 (65.6%) of the vehicles traveled below the speed limit while 23128 (34.4%) traveled above the speed limit. Highest recorded speed was 98.9 mph, with 26 (.039%) vehicles traveling between 93-99 mph.
…Study Documents (PDF)…
The info graphics used in this article were done by Colby Curtis, a current resident and City Council Member for Eagle Mountain.
Image used with permission from Jason Ruflin. This is a picture of the main round about where Eagle Mountain BLVD and Pony Express meet. Taken at night using a drone.
Mike Kieffer is an IT geek by hobby and trade, with a BS in Information Systems & Technology. He is a proud father of 10, a grandpa, an author, a journalist, and internet publisher. His motto is to “Elevate, Inspire and Inform”, and he is politically conservative and a Christian. Mike has a passion for technology, writing, and helping others. With a wealth of experience, he is committed to sharing his knowledge with others to help them reach their full potential. He is known for his jackassery or his form of self-expression that encourages boldness, creativity, and risk-taking. It can be a way to push the boundaries and challenge traditional norms, leading to creative solutions and positive change.