Cameras will start enforcing speed limits in Arlington school zones next month, more than two years after officials approved their installation.
The 10 cameras will begin operating on Sept. 25, with the owners of speeding vehicles receiving a $100 fine per infraction, a county press release says. Cameras will operate when school zone lights are flashing at the beginning and end of the school day, indicating a speed limit of 20 mph.
The new tech, which will take photos and videos of apparent violations for review by the Arlington County Police Department, will be installed at the following locations.
- Northbound 1300 block of N. Kirkwood Road
- Westbound 5800 block of Wilson Boulevard
- Southbound 400 block of N. George Mason Drive
- Southbound 600 block of S. 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
Signs will be installed 1,000 feet in advance of each camera, and a warning period meant to raise awareness about the new devices will begin on Aug. 26.
It’s almost time to head back to school! Arlington County has installed 10 new School Zone Speed Safety Cameras to deter speeding and improve safety in school zones. Details: https://t.co/WO4ayZ51UA pic.twitter.com/wkPnVBiMQr
— ArlingtonCountyPD (@ArlingtonVaPD) August 14, 2024
The Arlington County Board approved the installation of speed cameras in school and work areas back in January 2022, following the passage of legislation making it possible for Virginia municipalities to do so.
Though the county originally hoped to install the cameras in either late 2022 or early 2023, the program hit repeated delays.
The county selected the 10 camera locations based on factors including speed differentials, crash history, vehicle volume and equity emphasis areas, Vice-Chair Takis Karantonis said at a County Board meeting in June. An additional eight cameras are slated for installation in January 2025, he said.
“As we all know, this is not for us to make money,” Karantonis said. “What we want is that drivers understand that they have to moderate their speed and to drive safely, especially when they are in school zones.”
Back in 2022, County Board members heralded the cameras as a tool to protect children and lower severe and fatal crashes in the Vision Zero campaign. They were also meant to minimize race- and ethnicity-based disparities in traffic enforcement and provide relief to overworked ACPD officers.
In addition to the speeding cameras, new red-light enforcement cameras are scheduled to begin operating at four Arlington intersections starting Sept. 1.
