Speeding in two Richmond school zones will soon cost $50, doing it again will cost $100

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond drivers, say “Cheese!” The 30-day warning period for speed cameras near two Richmond elementary schools is coming to an end.

Come Monday March 18, the Richmond Police Department said citations will officially be going out to anyone who drives 11 miles per hour or more over the 25 mile per hour speed limit in the areas where the cameras are located. The cameras are at the following locations:

• Linwood Holton Elementary School (1600 West Laburnum Avenue)
  • Safety Camera A1: Northbound Hermitage Road
  • Safety Camera A2: Westbound Laburnum Avenue
• Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts (3411 Semmes Avenue)
  • Safety Camera B1: Eastbound Semmes Avenue
  • Safety Camera B2: Westbound Semmes Avenue

Lieutenant Harold Giles with the Richmond Police Department’s Special Operations Division says that, during the month-long warning period – RPD issued 4,227 warnings to speeding drivers.

“Our current speed average speed through here during the school session is 38 miles per hour. That’s way too fast going in a school zone,” said Giles. “As you know, we are short of officers. We cannot place an officer in each of these schools’ zones almost every day. So, this just enhances our presence out here.”

On Monday, speeding tickets will start being mailed to speeding drivers, a driver’s first violation will result in a $50 ticket and any subsequent tickets will be $100.

All four speeding cameras will only be activated during school arrival in the morning from 7:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. and during afternoon dismissal from 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

“We know the most important time is when little kids are coming and going from school. So as a starting point, that’s what we want to get everyone’s attention. ‘Hey, there are kids nearby. You’re driving. They’re vulnerable,’” said Andy Boenau, Richmond City’s Transportation Engineering Program Manager.

The locations are chosen according to how close the schools are to the City’s High Injury Street Network, which is a subset of roads with a higher frequency of traffic-related collisions that result in serious injuries or fatalities.

The cameras were initially placed under the city’s Safety Camera Program under the Vision Zero Action Plan. And Boenau says the speed cameras are one of it’s initiatives.

“Safety cameras are just one element. We’ve been doing a lot of work on this towards Vision zero — speed tables, road conversions, bike lanes, sidewalks, bus lanes,” said Boenau.

The timeframe is unclear at the moment, but the city will eventually have a total of 26 cameras placed in 13 different school locations – and the activation times will not change.