Jul
19
2023
From The Blog
Q2 Security Report Focused on Traffic and Enhancements
In the 2023 Member Survey, members placed area and island traffic high on their list of priorities. At July’s board meeting, Director of Security Mark Ruppel highlighted KICA’s on-going Security initiatives, including efforts to reduce traffic congestion.
Coming off the July 4th holiday weekend, Mark noted that 36,736 vehicles (nearly 8,000 more than in 2022) passed through the main gate from July 1-4. Island entities worked together, and Security began turning visitor vehicles around once resort facilities were fully committed for the day. KICA and the town are also working together to tackle congestion at the main gate during peak hours, with changes to the outbound traffic pattern and morning staffing inbound to alleviate congestion.
Mark also shared some important enhancements toward a more secure island that took place in Q2. The addition of a bike patrol officer will help educate leisure trail users, and new lights and decals on KICA Security vehicles will reinforce the enforcement presence on the island. The department also added a second radar speed trailer with a license plate reader. As of June 1, Security has been using collected information to notify (and penalize, if needed) companies and employers if their vehicles are speeding on the island.
While only commercial and island employees are contacted, data revealed speeding in all road users. From May 31 to July 2, there were 184 vehicles doing 10+ miles over the speed limit:
- Commercial: 67
- Island Employee: 54
- Members: 63
The data is being used as part of KICA’s traffic calming initiative. General speed data is collected in multiple locations around the island. Overall, Mark reported the initiative is very effective. On the Kiawah Island Parkway, Governor’s Drive, and Bufflehead Drive, 99% of traffic fell into the compliant (speed limit or less) or low-risk (less than 10 mph over the speed limit) categories. Another island road, Flyway Drive, has higher numbers of vehicles that fall into the medium and risk categories. Mark noted that while there are outliers, “we’re moving in a good direction.”