Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Northeast Radar hits on Blue Route (I-476)

There was a thread a while back where TommySVT mentioned getting radar hits from the solar panel powered poles along the Blue Route. I stated I never got any falses (besides the standard one at the I-76 interchange) on my V1.

Well, I was down on the Blue Route south of Villanova for the first time in a month or so yesterday, and I did get two falses - one at the US 1 exit and the other at Baltimore Pike exit. "K Band" no less, which is more than annoying because K is the only band I have ever seen PA Troopers using in an actual speed trap.

Here's my guess on what's going on: The ramp meter system has been installed for quite a while and are rarely used. The news has said that there were software problems preventing its full implementation. From what I understand, the system was going to use electronic loops in the pavement to count the rate of cars on the highway, and meter access based on that number when the rate was too high to prevent incoming traffic from clogging the highway. The more cars, the less frequently cars are allowed on.

Sounds good, but anyone that has been on that highway knows that it is a bumper to bumper drive, no matter what the rate of travel is. My guess is that the loops weren't making good counts with cars so close to each other, and the system has been switched to a radar based system (either tracking average travel speed or counting cars).

The good news is that I don't think that you can be issued a ticket from this system, even if they were taking pics with your speed reading. But, the fact that they use K will force me to slow until I get used to the false pattern so I can use the counter on the V1 to discern a lone false from a cop hiding in the false pattern.

Other possibilities: The radar system is used by a centralized traffic monitoring system (that put messages to the electronic signs or used by traffic news reporting systems).

Basically, I'll treat them just like the portable electronic traffic signs that emit radar (both K and X bands): harmless falses when the V1 counter only sees 1.

It's not like you break speed laws anyway ...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Allen

Ok, you are referring to 2 different things.

The loops are there and they work. It's just that Penndot doesn't know what they are doing so the ramp meters just became a 1.2 million dollar roadside attraction. I mean, why in God's name would you need them up near the turnpike where there hardly ever is a traffic jam.

Now onto the solar panel poles with the radar boxes. They are mounted at a 90* angle with the flow of traffic and mounted 45* pointing down. I higly doubt that is useful in gathering any kind of data, especially speed. To clock a speeder, state polic need to clock you while either coming towards them or away from them to gather a speed rating (Dopler effect). And, these lovely panelled headaches are on I-95 also. :rolleyes:

When I drove through the I-95 corrider in COnneticut a few years ago., they had a similar system set up where my detector went off every 1/2 mile. I had to turn the damn thing off. Locals up there confirmed the radar boxes.

Same radar poles are being put up on 202 just south of the i-76 exit... make me a but nervious

I bet all these new radar emitters have something to do with the new electronic signs that are going up all over the Blue Route.

on the 80-90 toll road in indiana, they have a new animal warning system to warn of deer that they're testing out on a 2 or 3 mile stretch. It has a series of boxes with radar lines running between them. If a deer, or car, or anything, crosses thru the radar, it sets off warning lights on signs all along the route "Animal detected" Kind of a sweet system, but WAYYYYY too overkill... and damn those false alarms. (Actually weren't too bad w/ V1, but still some)