WAIMANALO — School zones along Hawai'i's busy highways could get some relief from speeders if a demonstration project geared to slow drivers near Waimanalo Intermediate and Elementary School proves successful.

State officials yesterday installed a pair of speed-display signs, called VCalm, that let motorists know how fast they are going and, if they're going over 40 mph, direct them to slow down.

The signs also will collect speed data from passing vehicles that will be relayed to police, said Rod Haraga, director for the state Department of Transportation, during a press conference at the Waimanalo school site.

"If we find that (speed) is problematic in the area — folks are going 35 mph consistently through a 25-mph school zone — we want HPD to enforce the speed law," Haraga said, noting that the demonstration project aims to get drivers to slow on their own. "We're not taking pictures of license plates or drivers."

DOT officials selected Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate for the demonstration project because they wanted to test the apparatus in a rural location where speeding has been an issue, Haraga said, noting that several traffic fatalities have occurred along the stretch of Kalanian'ole Highway near the school.

If the two signs, which together cost about $24,000, improve roadway safety, they could be installed at other elementary schools throughout the state that are located on major highways, such as Sunset Beach Elementary School on the North Shore or Nanakuli Elementary School in Wai'anae, Haraga said.

The project will be funded through the national Safe Routes to School program, a five-year effort in which each state draws $1 million in federal funding each year for educational programs and infrastructure improvements.

The signs are in use in other states. Harold Linnenkohl, a commissioner for the Georgia Department of Transportation, said they have been in place there for years and still grab attention.

"We're finding that just as soon as people recognize they're speeding, they slow down," Linnenkohl said.

The variable message signs have other capabilities, such as public alerts and warnings. But for now the state is using just the speed display, which flashes a slow-down message and collects speed data. If a driver is going over the posted speed limit of 25 mph, the sign will display that speed. If a vehicle is going more than 40 mph, the sign will simply read "slow down" with no display of speed.

On several occasions during yesterday's press conference, the sign flashed speeds of at least 30 mph or simply read "slow down."

Waimanalo residents say speeding is an issue and have safety concerns for children who walk along the narrow two-lane highway. Rick Rigaud, 26, of Waimanalo, said the sign is needed.

"Most every day of the week people are speeding up and going more than the 25 mph," Rigaud said.

Waimanalo school principal Susan Hummel said people seem to disregard a flashing yellow light that operates during school hours to warn people that school is in session.

"If people see their actual speed, it might make them more conscious of how fast they're going. So, this will be a ... reminder," she said.

Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.