Cameras near some Prince William Co. schools capture hundreds of speeders

In January, the county announced plans to install speed cameras in some school zones as part of an automated traffic enforcement pilot program. The goal is to improve safety and reduce injuries and deaths on the roads, the county said at the time.

Currently, cameras are active in two school zones and are being deployed in a third. Ultimately, the county plans to install them in eight school zones as part of this initiative.

There isn't enough data to determine trends, according to Richard Weinmann, highway safety engineering manager at the Prince William Department of Transportation. But, anecdotally, drivers report others slowing down near schools with cameras, he said.

“A lot of people have observed or believe they see slow speeds,” Weinmann said. “And it definitely brought more attention to those school zones.”

During a 30-day warning period, from March 4 to April 8, cameras located near Woodbridge Secondary School and Old Bridge Elementary School along Old Bridge Road transmitted 1,374 warnings. The area has had speed issues for some time, according to Weinmann.

“The fact that we're seeing so many reviews posted means we probably have them in a good place,” Weinmann said.

“At this point we can't really see if behaviors are changing and if the trend is downward. We hope we see this in the future. This indicates that there is a need to bring attention to this school zone and that some sort of compliance monitoring is necessary there.

The pilot program began when cameras along Route 15/James Madison Highway near Battlefield High School went online on February 15. During the 30-day warning period, February 15 to March 17, 324 warnings were issued.

After the 30-day warning periods, drivers caught speeding in school zones will be fined $100. As of March 31, 64 first notices of infringement had been issued.

“Our primary goal of this program is to improve safety and awareness in school zones,” Weinmann said.

Another school zone, on Kettle Run Road near Patriot High School and Clay Wood Elementary School, was scheduled to become active earlier this month. However, its launch was delayed because when workers went to install panels, they discovered “a whole pile of underground utilities that we didn't know existed,” Weinmann said.

All school zone speed camera locations were chosen based on monitoring requests from police departments and schools. They are located on both sides of the street in a given school zone, Weinmann said.

In July, transportation leaders will report progress to the Oversight Board and ask them to extend the pilot program for another year, Weinmann said.

“We will continue to roll out these eight sites initially identified in the new school year,” Weinmann said.

The initiative, Weinmann said, “is not an enforcement goal. This is a security objective.

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