Smyrna leaders are cracking down on drivers who blow through school zones.
Three automated cameras will be installed in zones on Spring Road at Argyle Elementary School, Concord Road near King Springs Elementary School’s K-2 campus and Atlanta Road at Campbell Middle School.
Once the cameras are installed, there will be a 30-day period during which drivers will get warnings if they speed through the zones. Once that grace period is over, drivers who are captured traveling 10 or more miles per hour over the speed limit will be mailed citations. Fines are $75 for the first offense and $125 for the second and subsequent violations.
Smyrna Mayor Derek Norton said the cameras will only be in operation three hours a day: two 90-minute periods before and after school. Norton added the city will install signs notifying drivers of the cameras.
A state law passed in 2018 gave the green light to local governments to partner with companies and install automated speed enforcement cameras in school zones. Other cities that have installed cameras in school zones include Lilburn, Duluth, Roswell and Alpharetta.
Smyrna leaders began brainstorming what can be done about speeders in school zones when public works crews were making safety improvements last fall around Campbell Middle School, Norton said.
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A Smyrna officer was stationed in a patrol car for the duration of the project to help with traffic flow. Even with the car’s presence, Norton said this “didn’t slow down motorists as they traveled through the area.”
Smyrna police conducted a one-day speed study in three school zones across the city. According to information provided by Smyrna, more than 600 drivers were clocked traveling 10 or more miles per hour over the speed limit. Norton said the city doesn’t have the manpower to use officers to patrol these areas, so the cameras are good solution to the problem.
City Council members on Tuesday awarded a request for proposal to RedSpeed USA to install the cameras at no cost to Smyrna. RedSpeed will receive 35 percent of the proceeds from violations, and the city will get the rest. The state law requires governments to use the revenue towards public safety efforts.
Norton said the city is not using a “gotcha” method to get drivers to slow down.
“Revenue did not drive this,” he said. “This was all about safety around our school zones.”
Cobb County Schools spokeswoman Nan Kiel said the district is grateful for Smyrna’s decision.
“We want to ensure that our streets are safe for students to walk, and we appreciate Smyrna looking at different avenues for making our students’ commute safer,” she said.
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