Coudersport, PA – Motorists traveling near the UPMC Cole Memorial Hospital in Potter County will be reminded to obey the posted speed limit. Earlier today, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) placed a radar-controlled speed display board on Route 6 in the area of the hospital.
The board was placed to aid in curbing speeding, a common type of aggressive driving behavior, and to enhance pedestrian safety. Through the summer, parking lots at UPMC Cole Memorial Hospital will see improvement work, making it necessary for employees to park in an area along Route 6 and walk a distance to the hospital.
The speed display board faces westbound traffic and utilizes radar to determine the speeds of oncoming traffic. Vehicle speeds are then posted on the lighted section of the board. The posted speed limit in this section of Route 6 is 40 miles per hour.
Late last week, PennDOT also placed message boards facing eastbound and westbound traffic on Route 6 to alert motorists of the potential for pedestrians along the roadway between the hours of 6:00 AM and 8:00 PM.
Speeding and other aggressive driving behaviors are among the leading causes of crashes and fatalities in Pennsylvania. Aggressive driving behaviors were listed as a crash cause in 51 percent of Potter County crashes in 2017. Statewide, pedestrian fatalities increased from 150 in 2017 to 201 in 2018.
