Tempting as it may be for frazzled parents to speed their kids to school once Arlington County Public Schools (APS) classes resume Aug. 26, a new program will encourage drivers to slow down in school zones.
Called PhotoSPEED, the program will use new safety cameras to capture information about vehicle volume and improper driving behavior, such as speeding, in 10 local school zones. The speed limit in school zones is 20 mph, as indicated by signs and flashing lights.
“The cameras are only activated when the beacons are flashing, and that is only during school arrival and dismissal time,” says Ashley Savage, police communications manager at the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD). “When they’re activated, the cameras within the [beacon] device will capture any vehicle that’s going above the posted speed.”
Here’s how it will work: The cameras will record video of all vehicle volume during school zone times, so that officials can track how many cars travel through the area during student arrivals and dismissals. The technology will automatically flag any vehicles exceeding the speed limit, and an officer will review the footage. If a violation is confirmed, a $100 ticket will be sent to the vehicle’s registered owner.
Drivers will also get a link to access the video of their violation by entering their car information and ticket number. “It’s not otherwise publicly available,” Savage says.
The program starts Aug. 26. Drivers will get a warning period through Sept. 24, after which fines will be issued.
PhotoSPEED is part of the county’s Automated Safety Enforcement Program, which also includes PhotoRED to encourage red-light compliance. Both support Arlington’s Vision Zero program, which uses data to prioritize safety issues to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries.
The county adopted its Vision Zero policy in 2019, and the next year, Virginia enacted legislation to allow speed safety cameras in school and work zones. The Arlington County Board voted to change the County Code to allow for safety cameras here in January 2022.
“About a quarter of crashes are related to speeding,” says Christine Sherman Baker, Arlington’s Vision Zero project manager. “Obviously, the higher [speed] somebody’s going, the more likely they are to cause a significant crash or significant injury…. From a pedestrian standpoint, somebody getting hit by a vehicle going 20 mph has an 80% chance of survival, whereas somebody who gets hit at 30 mph, their chance of survival is like 40%-50%.”
Officials looked at several criteria to determine where to install PhotoSPEED cameras. “The first criteria we looked at was whether there was space for us to actually put a camera,” Sherman Baker says. “We also looked at speed data, so where the higher speeds were, crash history, which locations had seen a history of more crashes and vehicle volumes, as well to make sure we’re putting it on roads where there’s lots of activity.”
The county also considered equity. “We wanted to try to catch as many walk zones where there’s the most kids walking to school,” she adds.
The effort is about more than speed limit enforcement, Savage notes. It’s also about educating drivers: “We know slower is safer,” she says. “When you slow down, you have a larger field of view. You’re able to react quicker. That’s the behavior that we’re trying to address. That is the behavior that’s ultimately going to make our roads safer.”
ACPD Officer John Ramos says he welcomes the extra set of eyes (as in cameras) at these critical traffic junctures.
“Traffic enforcement is as consistent as can be, but we keep hours and we’re not always here at key moments,” Ramos says. “To be able to have a device that can enforce the traffic laws here at the crucial times is very, very important. I think we’re going to see a dramatic change in traffic behavior because of it.”
Here is a list of locations where the PhotoSPEED cameras will be installed:
- Northbound 1300 block of North Kirkwood Road
- Westbound 5800 block of Wilson Boulevard
- Southbound 400 block of North George Mason Drive
- Southbound 600 block of South Carlin Springs Road
- Southbound Unit block of S. Carlin Springs Road
- Southbound 1900 block of S. George Mason Drive
- Northbound 1900 block of S. George Mason Drive
- Southbound 1200 block of S. George Mason Drive
- Eastbound 4500 block of Washington Boulevard
- Eastbound 5200 block of Yorktown Boulevard
On Sept. 16, Falls Church also launched its inaugural School Zone Speed Safety Program. A camera at the 800 block of West Broad Street, within the designated school zone of Saint James Catholic School, takes digital images and video footage of vehicles traveling more than the posted speed limit. As in Arlington, a law enforcement officer will review the footage of potential violations and issue citations.