The 30-day warning period for the Atlanta Public Schools/City of Atlanta School Zone Speed Safety Program ends on Monday morning when tickets will be issued to violators. 

In an effort to improve safety on our roads and around our schools, APS and the City of Atlanta, with the assistance of Verra Mobility, have implemented a School Zone Speed Safety Program. The program will be implemented in multiple phases but is being launched at the following school sites:

• R. N. Fickett Elementary School

• Kindezi at Gideons Elementary School

• Burgess-Peterson Academy

• Kimberly Elementary School

• Miles Elementary School

• Continental Colony Elementary School

• Drew Charter Schools

• Morris Brandon Elementary School (Main Campus)

• Cleveland Avenue Elementary School

• E. Rivers Elementary School

The safety cameras are designed to deter excessive and unlawful speeding in school zones, which is a dangerous driving maneuver that endangers students, teachers, faculty, and members of the community. Georgia law allows for speed cameras to be deployed in school zones with violations issued to the registered owner of a vehicle caught traveling in excess of 10 miles per hour of the posted speed limit. The cameras are only active during school hours.

The 30-day warning period began on Friday, August 18, and ends Sunday, September 17. Persons who violate the speed limit will be issued a speeding ticket beginning Monday, September 18. In Georgia, a speeding violation will carry a fine of $75 for first-time offenders. Subsequent offenses will result in a $125 fine. 

These programs help ensure that drivers pay more attention and obey traffic control devices. Signs are in place to alert drivers that the school zone is a photo enforcement area. The Atlanta Police Department determines whether a violation even has occurred and reviews each warning and citation prior to issuance.

“Our priority is to keep our students safe. The school zone speed cameras will help slow drivers down, thereby protecting children as they walk to and from school,” said Atlanta Public Schools Police Chief Ronald Applin. 

APS and the City of Atlanta Police Department contracted with Verra Mobility (NASDAQ: VRRM) to provide the safety cameras, which have been installed at no cost to the school district. Instead, a percentage of the paid fines will fund future school safety and security projects.

“The school zone speed safety camera program is an important component of our community’s traffic safety efforts. These devices help us enforce the speed limit and maximize the deployment of our police force throughout the city of Atlanta,” said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. “We strongly advise drivers to be alert and to always abide by the posted speed limit. Speeding is always dangerous to people inside and outside of the vehicle.”

“Part of making Atlanta the best place to raise a child in the nation is ensuring their safety both in and out of the classroom,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. “The new school zone speed safety camera program is a great compliment to our Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries in Atlanta.” 

For more information about APS’s school zone speed safety camera program, please visithttps://www.atlantapublicschools.us/Page/70912.

For more information about Verra Mobility’s safety enforcement tech, please visit verramobility.com/enforcement.