Richmond speed cameras turn on this week
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
The four speed enforcement cameras the city installed last year near two elementary schools will turn on Saturday.
Why it matters: The cameras, and the fines that will come with them, are meant to deter speeding in school zones.
Zoom in: The cameras are near Linwood Holton Elementary School in Northside and Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts in South Richmond.
- The Northside ones are on Northbound Hermitage Road and Westbound Laburnum Avenue.
- In South, Eastbound and Westbound on Semmes Avenue.
Those schools were chosen for the pilot phase of the project because they're in an area that sees a high number of crashes, per VPM.
How it works: There are warning signs alerting drivers that speed enforcement is taking place, which is required by state code, and fines will be issued for driver going 11 miles per hour or more over the posted limit.
- There will also be a 30-day period when the devices only issue warnings.
- After that, fines for first violations are $50, and subsequent violations are $100.
- Proceeds from the fines will be used to support the initiative and other measures to make city streets safer.
Flashback: State lawmakers approved the use of speed cameras in Virginia back in 2020, but limited their use to highway work zones and school crossing zones.
What's next: The city described the initiative as a pilot that will eventually expand to 26 cameras in 13 school districts.
- River City and Lucille Brown middle schools, both in South Richmond, are slated to be part of the first expansion.