Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I got a $75 fine in the mail for going 47 on a 35 mph school zone, I thought it was 45 mph speed limit. The camera is on Beaver Ruin Road but the Summerour Middle School is on Price Place NW.
The speed limit drops to 35 several blocks before you get to Buford Hwy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
Was it an active school zone as in within school zone hours or was it during non school zone hours?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ShenardL
Hmm I don't know the timestamp of the camera says 11:17 AM.
The regular speed limit on that stretch of the Beaver Ruin Road roadway (which is also designated and signed as Georgia State Route 378) appears to be located within the corporate limits/incorporated area of the City of Norcross) appears to be 35 miles-per-hour with a 30 mile-per-hour speed limit in the school zone when lights are flashing, as evidenced by this Google Maps street view image of that stretch of the GA-378 Beaver Ruin Road roadway from November 2019: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9425...7i16384!8i8192
I don’t know the exact hours that the City of Norcross enforces their reduced school zone speed limits, but some jurisdictions (including some of the jurisdictions that have acquired automated speed cameras in school zones) enforce reduced school zone speed limits all day long and not just during morning arrival and afternoon departure periods.
The regular speed limit on that stretch of the Beaver Ruin Road roadway (which is also designated and signed as Georgia State Route 378) appears to be located within the corporate limits/incorporated area of the City of Norcross) appears to be 35 miles-per-hour with a 30 mile-per-hour speed limit in the school zone when lights are flashing, as evidenced by this Google Maps street view image of that stretch of the GA-378 Beaver Ruin Road roadway from November 2019: https://www.google.com/maps/@33.9425...7i16384!8i8192
Ah, yes I know that section of Beaver Ruin Rd, just as you're approaching or departing the Buford Hwy intersection. For some reason I thought this was somewhere between I-85 and Lawrenceville Hwy.
So it appears the Speed Camera's will enforce both the school zone speed limit and the regular speed limit. Good to know. Alot of people do 45 - 50 through that stretch so I guess this in a sense is the only way to slow them down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll
I don’t know the exact hours that the City of Norcross enforces their reduced school zone speed limits, but some jurisdictions (including some of the jurisdictions that have acquired automated speed cameras in school zones) enforce reduced school zone speed limits all day long and not just during morning arrival and afternoon departure periods.
This on the other hand I have to disagree with in the method of function, if it is not morning or evening, or the hours that the sign posts for school zone hours, then there should be no legal means of passing along tickets to drivers who are technically not breaking the law. That to me sounds like a rather low method of filling the treasury rather than enforcing safety.
Ah, yes I know that section of Beaver Ruin Rd, just as you're approaching or departing the Buford Hwy intersection. For some reason I thought this was somewhere between I-85 and Lawrenceville Hwy.
So it appears the Speed Camera's will enforce both the school zone speed limit and the regular speed limit. Good to know. Alot of people do 45 - 50 through that stretch so I guess this in a sense is the only way to slow them down.
This on the other hand I have to disagree with in the method of function, if it is not morning or evening, or the hours that the sign posts for school zone hours, then there should be no legal means of passing along tickets to drivers who are technically not breaking the law. That to me sounds like a rather low method of filling the treasury rather than enforcing safety.
Below is a link to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article from February 11, 2020 that reported that the City of Norcross would use the automated cameras to enforce reduced school zone speed limits all day long on school days from one hour before school starts until one hour after school ends.
The article also reports that the cameras activate speed enforcement when vehicles are going at least 10 miles per hour over the posted reduced speed limits in school zones, so the automated camera citation that ShenardL received for doing 47 mph in a 35 mph at 11:17am appeared to have been generated when the poster was going 12 mph over the posted speed limit in a 35 mph school zone.
Quote:
Norcross has approved the cameras in four of its school zones. Roads outside Beaver Ridge Elementary School, Norcross Elementary School, Baldwin Elementary School and Summerour Middle Shool will get the cameras, which monitor driver speed from an hour before the school day begins until an hour after it ends.
The cameras automatically flag drivers going at least 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. A police officer then reviews the tape and approves a ticket, which is mailed to the address associated with the speeder’s car.
Below is a link to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article from February 11, 2020 that reported that the City of Norcross would use the automated cameras to enforce reduced school zone speed limits all day long on school days from one hour before school starts until one hour after school ends.
The article also reports that the cameras activate speed enforcement when vehicles are going at least 10 miles per hour over the posted reduced speed limits in school zones, so the automated camera citation that ShenardL received for doing 47 mph in a 35 mph at 11:17am appeared to have been generated when the poster was going 12 mph over the posted speed limit in a 35 mph school zone.
So lets say the normal speed limit is 45 MPH on a road and a school zone speed limit is 25 MPH within the school zone on that road, and the school zone hours posted on the sign were between 7am and 9am and again from 3pm to 5pm. Lets say that at 11am I traveled through that zone at 45 MPH, would I also still receive a ticket? I kind of think that is ridiculous especially given the sign typically tells you when the school zone speed limit is enforced. I do not believe the DMV Handbook teaches otherwise either. I would definitely fight that kind of a ticket. I dont mind the camera's enforcing the speed limit, but they do need to enforce the correct speed limit.
Last edited by Need4Camaro; 10-13-2020 at 10:47 PM..
So lets say the normal speed limit is 45 MPH on a road and a school zone speed limit is 25 MPH within the school zone on that road, and the school zone hours posted on the sign were between 7am and 9am and again from 3pm to 5pm. Lets say that at 11am I traveled through that zone at 45 MPH, would I also still receive a ticket? I kind of think that is ridiculous especially given the sign typically tells you when the school zone speed limit is enforced. I do not believe the DMV Handbook teaches otherwise either. I would definitely fight that kind of a ticket. I dont mind the camera's enforcing the speed limit, but they do need to enforce the correct speed limit.
From the looks of the reduced school zone speed limit sign that was in the Google Maps street view that I linked to earlier, it appears that the City of Norcross may not and does not include on signs the exact hours that the reduced speed limit is in effect in school zones.
It appears that the City of Norcross only includes the words “WHEN FLASHING” on school zone speed limit signs, which may mean that particular jurisdiction may intend to enforce reduced speed limits in school zones whenever the yellow lights on the school zone speed limit signs are flashing.
That may mean that, in addition to enforcing reduced school zone speed limits throughout the entire day from one hour before school starts until one hour after school ends, the City of Norcross may also enforce reduced speed limits in school zones during times of special events outside of normal school hours, like during an after-hours open house, after-hours parent-teacher conferences, after-hours school plays, after-hours and Saturday athletic events, etc.
Norcross’ city government’s reasoning for not including exact hours/times of the school day when the reduced school zone speed limit is in effect may be that they want to enforce a reduced school zone speed limit whenever there may be activity at a school that generates both increased automobile traffic and increased foot traffic no matter whether it is a regular school day or after-hours/extracurricular events.
Plus, something that probably may be worth noting that might be germane to this conversation is that I think that school zone speed limit violations technically can be enforced/cited at only one mile-per-hour over the posted school zone speed limit in a state like Georgia that otherwise appears to restrict speed limit enforcement to 10 or more miles-per-hour over the posted speed limit... So jurisdictions with automated speed cameras likely are going to publicly argue that not ticketing drivers until they are going at least 10 mph over the posted speed limit is very generous, particularly in a school zone where the state appears to allow local jurisdictions to ticket motorists for going only one mph over the posted speed limit if they so choose.
Because they’re talking about enforcing reduced speed limits during times when schools are generating traffic (including increased automobile traffic and increased foot traffic that includes lots of children walking to and from and around schools), there probably generally will not be much, if any, real public pushback against the jurisdictions (like a City of Norcross, etc.) that want to enforce reduced speed limits in school zones for extended periods of time before school starts, during the middle of the school day and after school ends.
Fair points it just isn’t clear though as per what happens if you’re caught doing the real speed limit when the amber light isn’t flashing in the school zone, will the camera be enforcing the school zone speed limit or the real speed limit? If the amber lights are not flashing and you’re doing the real speed limit then you’re technically not breaking the law which is why I can’t see why they would ticket someone for that. I get the 1 mph over thing in school zones but let’s say that the actual speed limit is 20 MPH greater than the school zone limit, and you do it when the lights are not flashing, I just don’t get how that would be fair or even illegal given the sign reads when lights flashing.
As for the 1 mph over in school zones, I had the assumption that this applied only when the actual school zone was active.
Fair points it just isn’t clear though as per what happens if you’re caught doing the real speed limit when the amber light isn’t flashing in the school zone, will the camera be enforcing the school zone speed limit or the real speed limit? If the amber lights are not flashing and you’re doing the real speed limit then you’re technically not breaking the law which is why I can’t see why they would ticket someone for that. I get the 1 mph over thing in school zones but let’s say that the actual speed limit is 20 MPH greater than the school zone limit, and you do it when the lights are not flashing, I just don’t get how that would be fair or even illegal given the sign reads when lights flashing.
I may be incorrect (a traffic cop and/or good attorney that specializes in traffic law most likely might be the best sources to consult on this issue), but from what I understand, the automated school zone cameras should only be actively enforcing the reduced school zone speed limits on days when school is in session.
Though, the hours of the school day when automated cameras are actively enforcing the reduced school zone speed limits do seem to vary noticeably between different jurisdictions.
Some jurisdictions may only enforce reduced school zone speed limits within specific times specified on signs (like in the City of Lilburn where the reduced school zone speed limits seem to be enforced only for an hour at the start of the school day and an hour at the end of the school day), while other jurisdictions may enforce reduced school zone speed limits whenever they choose to do so while schools are in session or are in use in some type of significant way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Need4Camaro
As for the 1 mph over in school zones, I had the assumption that this applied only when the actual school zone was active.
Lawrenceville proper may add speed cameras to 5 school zones
After a police study showed up to 95% of drivers speeding in city school zones, Lawrenceville City Council is considering putting up speed cameras to issue more tickets.
The Lawrenceville City Council will consider a proposal to install speed cameras in five school zones, two of which are on different roads but are for the same elementary school, located within the city limits at its December 9th work session. As part of the proposal consideration, residents are being asked to weigh in on the idea by offering feedback.
City officials said the Lawrenceville Police Department’s speed study, which was conducted in August, determined the worst area for speeding around schools is around Central Gwinnett High School where 95% of all motorists were traveling at least 10 miles-per-hour over the posted speed limit along West Crogan Street (US Highway 29) while the school zone was active and school was in session.
Lawrenceville officials also said that speeding was a problem in all of the school zones located within the city limits.
Speeding citations will only be issued to vehicles that are traveling in excess of 10 miles-per-hour over the posted speed limit during the times that the school zone is active when school is in session.
I very much condone this, They REALLY need to slow down through School Zone in L'ville - I actually ended up writing Gwinnett County PD regarding one school zone (Richards Middle School) on Sugarloaf Pkwy that drivers were going between 50 and 60 MPH during an active school zone. They staffed an officer who wrote I believe like 60 tickets in 1 month period over the offense. 10 MPH over is a very gracious leeway.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Lawrenceville proper may add speed cameras to 5 school zones
