Almost four thousand euros. That is the amount that residents of Parc Sandur earned by obeying the traffic rules for a month. In the Emmer district there was a speedometer for four weeks that yielded money. Today it was removed and the district chairman was handed the check.
The safety-safe in Parc Sandur is the first in Drenthe. It is an initiative aimed at improving road safety awareness in a positive way. People often drive too fast in the area. “The entire district is a 30-kilometer zone, but unfortunately this is often forgotten,” says district chairman Fred Ottens. “We prefer not to punish people.”
That is why the district submitted an application to the municipality for the reward meter. Any car or scooter that kept to the speed saved money. “You saw that money on the screen on the pole, so you are immediately rewarded.” It is a few cents per vehicle. The money has been made available from the subsidy pot ‘Idea voor mijn neighbourhood.’ With this, the municipality of Emmen wants to financially support residents who have ideas to make the neighborhood more beautiful or safer.
The speedometer in Parc Sandur therefore provided a reward if motorists did not drive faster than thirty kilometers per hour. Previously, that speed was often exceeded in the district. That is why the district council came up with the idea for the application for the pole. “It’s a way to create positive awareness,” says Ottens.
Most drivers who use the road come from the neighbourhood. The neighborhood association hopes that the ‘positive’ speed camera has contributed to raising awareness among residents. “We hope for a long-lasting effect,” says the chairman. At the moment, the neighborhood association is very satisfied with the outcome. “People talk about it a lot among themselves and that means people think about it.”
The money will be used for the construction of a footpath at the golf course and the Sandurdreef. “There is currently no safe place for pedestrians to walk there. We would like to change that.” The money from the municipality must be used in the neighbourhood, preferably for adjustments that improve road safety. In total, the piggy bank yielded 3,937 euros.