The Oglethorpe Echo
Cameras and laser speed detectors have been installed in Oglethorpe County’s school zones and should be ready to help enforce the speed by the start of the next school year, Sheriff David Gabriel said.
The camera installation is the culmination of a two-year project to slow drivers in the school zones on Highway 78 in front of Oglethorpe County High School and on Comer Road, where Oglethorpe County Primary, Elementary and Middle schools are located.
The Oglethorpe County Board of Commissioners will need to approve the county’s “List of Roadways” so speed detection devices can be used in the school zones.
The list was tabled in the May meeting because of inaccuracies found in several road names, but Commission Chair Jay Paul said it should be “good to go” for the meeting scheduled for Monday, June 5.
“The list of roads is what authorizes you to use speed protection devices on certain roadways,” Gabriel said. “If it's not on the list of roads, then you can't do traffic enforcement there using a radar or laser.”
The 2022-23 school year ended Wednesday and the 2023-24 school year is scheduled to begin on Monday, Aug. 7.
Blue Line Solutions paid for the installation of the system, which Gabriel said cost $70,000. The company will receive $25 of the $100 fine for going more than 10 mph over the speed limit, Gabriel said. The fine increases $100 for every additional violation.
Blue Line Solutions conducted a survey with a speed box to monitor the speed of cars through the school zone from Monday through Friday, Gabriel said.
The speed limit on Highway 78 is 45 and drops to 35 when the lights are flashing, meaning the school zone speed limit is enforced. Any speed 10 mph over was documented as a violation.
There were 4,867 violations in that five-day period.
“It’s clearly a problem, and what the company says is that, within the first year, there’s supposed to be a 80% reduction in speeding in a school zone,” Gabriel said.
The cameras will be connected to the Flock system, which runs license plates to look for drivers with warrants, missing persons or stolen vehicles. Three Flock cameras have been in use in Oglethorpe County for two years.