At its regular Tuesday meeting at 7 p.m., the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors will consider supporting a proposed pilot warning system for slow-moving vehicles, specifically Amish horse-and-buggy traffic.
The system would pertain to Hermosa Road, or Virginia 40 at Virginia 677, east of Gretna.
“This location has seen multiple buggy-related accidents, and recent data shows an average of 18 slow-moving vehicles per day,” says the staff report in the meeting’s agenda packet.
The warning system would involve installing “a dynamic flashing warning system that detects slow-moving vehicles — such as buggies or tractors — and activates flashing signs for the duration of the event,” says the report.
This type of system hasn’t yet been tested anywhere in Virginia, and Pittsylvania could serve as a test location “and contribute meaningful data to future statewide safety efforts,” wrote County Administrator Vincent Shorter in a letter of support for the project, also included in the agenda packet.
The Virginia Department of Transportation plans to seek money for this project from the Innovation and Technology Transportation Fund, which supports pilot programs for high-tech infrastructure improvements, according to the staff report.
The board will consider approving Shorter’s letter of support, which calls enhanced safety measures on this road “warranted and overdue.”
“The county recognizes the significant safety risks facing our Amish community members, local farmers, and the traveling public, and we greatly appreciate VDOT’s willingness to pursue an innovative solution here,” Shorter wrote. “The concepts of a dynamic, automatic detection system, capable of identifying a slow-moving vehicle and activating flashing warning signage in real time, has strong potential to reduce crashes, increase driver awareness, and ultimately save lives.”
If supported by the board, preliminary plans for the project include placing sensors and flashing signs on all three legs of the intersection, according to the staff report.
County staff recommends that the board approve Shorter’s letter of support for the project.
The board meeting will be preceded by a work session, which will start at 3 p.m. Tuesday.
Also this week in Pittsylvania, the industrial development authority will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, and the community policy and management team will meet at 2 p.m. Thursday.
In Danville this week, the city council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, and the meeting will be followed by a work session. The transportation and advisory committee will meet at noon Wednesday, and the board of zoning appeals will meet at 10 a.m. Thursday.