Bailey Cove Road near the Mountain Gap schools now has automated flashing school zone signs and radar speed displays. The city said police have also run extra traffic details there.

Drivers on Bailey Cove Road near Mountain Gap Elementary and Mountain Gap Middle now pass automated flashing school zone signs. The old fixed signs north and south of Mountain Gap Road have been replaced.

The city announced the work Thursday in a news release. It said residents had raised concerns about speeding and pedestrian safety on the road, and the changes are the response.

What has changed

The city said three things are now in place along the corridor:

  • Automated school zone flashers. They replaced the static signs after a traffic study. They switch on during approved school dismissal times, and the city can adjust them remotely.
  • Radar speed displays. They show each approaching driver’s speed next to the posted limit. They were paid for from District 3 council improvement funds.
  • Extra police patrols. The Huntsville Police Department has run what the city called “numerous traffic details” on the corridor.

The new sign in the city’s photo reads “School speed limit 25 when flashing.”

The city said the radar displays are an education and speed-management tool, not an enforcement device. They also record vehicle speeds. The city said it will use that data to study traffic patterns and see whether driver behavior changes over time.

Two more sets of radar displays have been ordered. The city said they will be moved around locations in District 3. It did not say where they will go first.

Who was involved

The work brought together the city’s Traffic Engineering Division, the Police Department and District 3 council member Jennie Robinson, the city said.

“I commend our departments for working together to respond to citizen concerns with a coordinated effort that we hope will change driver behavior in one of our busiest corridors,” Robinson said.

Nicholas Nene, the city’s director of traffic engineering, said engineering can only go so far. “At the end of the day, traffic safety is a shared responsibility,” he said.

Capt. Ricky Stephens, commander of the department’s South Precinct, called the project “a collaborative effort to enhance the safety and quality of life for pedestrians, motorists and residents of this area.”

Earlier work on the same road

The city said the new equipment builds on two protected crosswalks it put in on Bailey Cove Road last year. Those crosswalks link neighborhoods to the Aldridge Creek Greenway and McGucken Park. Our walking and biking trails guide covers the greenway.

What it means for you

  • When the lights flash, the limit is 25 mph. The flashers are timed to school dismissal, so expect them on school-day afternoons.
  • The radar signs do not issue tickets, the city said. Police patrols on the corridor are separate, and the city said they have been running.
  • Families at the two schools can find school calendars on our pages for Mountain Gap Elementary and Mountain Gap Middle.
  • For other road work and closures across the city, see our Huntsville road closures page.