Neptune Beach will add speed cameras to school zones. | News4Jax
Published on March 5, 2024 at 3:40 pm
Even if you don’t see a police officer, you better slow down in school zones in Neptune Beach.
The Neptune Beach City Council approved an ordinance Monday that allows the use of automated cameras in school zones to issue tickets to speeders. A ticket will cost $100 if someone is caught going at least 10 mph over the speed limit.
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That means if someone was going 26 mph in a 15 mph school zone, they would get a ticket. That’s opposed to a $340 fine if a police officer catches someone going one mile an hour over the speed limit in a school zone.
The technology would read a person’s license plate and issue a ticket in the mail after an officer reviews the incident. The ticket would have a photo of the driver’s license plate and the speed they were traveling at the time.
The cameras would catch only speeders, not drivers running red lights or any other traffic violations. The tickets would not affect someone’s insurance, and no points would be issued on someone’s license.
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Police Chief Michael Key said the goal is to keep children safe.
“We’re already spending in law enforcement theater, a massive amount of time and energy and effort to secure our children from active shooter assailants and everything else once they’re at school. I’m just trying to get them there safe,” Key said.
Key said once the cameras are implemented, there will be clear signs and flashing lights around school zones to notify drivers.
“It is not about ticket revenue generating, it’s not about that. I made that very clear the first time it came up, and I’ll make that very clear this time. This is about protecting our students, protecting our kids,” Key said.
The ordinance said the cameras would be in use while classes are in session and one hour before and after the school day. Schools zones are defined as the areas in, on or within 500 feet of any school property.
Neptune Beach has already conducted a traffic study about speeding in school zones. It found 200 speeding violations per day at Neptune Beach Elementary and roughly the same amount at the Beaches Chapel School.
During public comments, resident Donald Rodgers, who lives near Beaches Chapel School, said he has a bad feeling about putting up cameras. He thinks putting up better signs would be enough to prevent speeding in school zones.
“It’s easy to blow by that sign [near Beaches Chapel School] not thinking about what time of day it is or checking the sign to see what time that you know you’re supposed to slow down,” Rodgers said.
Ultimately the City Council voted unanimously to approve use of the cameras. Officials still need to pick a vendor to implement them.
