By KEVIN NEVERS

How many vehicles between 12 p.m. June 10 and 12 p.m. June 11 were traveling westbound on Indian Boundary Road between, roughly, Plaza Drive and North Calumet Road?

A total of 6,170.

What was there average speed, on a roadway posted at 30 miles per hour?

In the right lane, 36 mph, with fully 60.46 percent of the vehicles exceeding the posted limit; in the left lane, 40 mph, with 84.07 percent of them exceeding the limit.

Those are just some of the data yielded by the new traffic counter recently purchased by the Chesterton Street Department with $3,974.41 in CEDIT funds. That counter will be used, among other things, for the traffic studies mandated by the Indiana Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices whenever a change in speed limit is requested or the installation of stop signs or the activation of traffic signals.

At the moment, Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg informed the Town Council at its meeting Monday night, he is only testing the new device. But already it’s producing some intriguing data.

For instance, in the left-lane of westbound Indian Boundary, 585 of the 4,242 vehicles counted or 14 percent were traveling between 45 and 49 mph; 144 or 3 percent between 50 and 54 mph; 47 or 1 percent between 55 and 59 mph; 16 between 60 and 64 mph; eight between 65 and 69 mph; and seven between 70 and 74 mph, all of the latter—hard to believe, actually—between 12 and 6 p.m. on June 10.

Schnadenberg told the Chesterton Tribune after the meeting that he is still testing the counter and working out the bugs.

Meanwhile, of 6,170 vehicles counted in both lanes, 4,833 or 78 percent were passenger vehicles; 1,081 or 18 percent were vans and pickups; 125 or 3 percent were busses and trucks; and 94 or 2 percent were tractor trailers.

The peak period for the right lane was between 12 and 1 p.m. June 10, with a total of 148 vehicles counted. The peak period for the left lane was also between 12 and 1 p.m. June 10, with 351 vehicles counted.

The slowest period for the right lane was between 4 and 5 a.m. June 11, with a total of four vehicles counted. The slowest period for the left lane was between 3 and 4 a.m. June 11, with a total of 14 vehicles counted.

Schnadenberg said that he will soon be testing the counter in the eastbound lanes and then in the stretch of Indian Boundary between Ind. 49 and Plaza Drive.

Posted 6/24/2008