Local & State Headlines

Drivers warned on school zone speeds

• School zones will be activated earlier this year than in previous years, police officials say.

J.D. Sumner

ALBANY — As summer slowly drifts away and fall beckons on the horizon, hordes of area school children head back to Dougherty County public schools on Wednesday.

And as the annual transformation from summer-loving, carefree kids to punctual pupils begins, police throughout the area are cautioning drivers to once-again ease off the accelerator and put down the cell phones while driving through school zones.

Albany Police say they plan to take a hard line on traffic violators driving near schools this year, especially those who speed, APD spokesperson Phyllis Banks said.

In addition to an added police presence, officers will arrive earlier to school zones to adjust to new school start times beginning this year, Banks said.

“The school zone times have changed so that may catch motorists a little off-guard,” Banks said. “So people need to adjust their commute plans.”

According to Banks, school zones will be in operation from 7:15 a.m. at elementary schools, 7:30 a.m. at middle schools and 8 a.m. for the high schools. The school zone start time for both combined elementary and middle schools and middle and high schools will be 7:30.

For those who may be late to work or who fail to observe the speed limits during those times when the school zones are in effect, Banks says to be prepared for a jolt to your wallet.

“As usual, fines are doubled if you’re caught speeding in a school zone,” Banks said. “So it really pays to slow down. We don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

According to a report by the Transportation Research Board, school zones are often plagued with poor driver compliance when it comes to obeying posted speed limits.

Ironically enough, the report says that the lower the speed limit, the less drivers obey it.

But when police officers or speed measuring devices are in place, drivers will often slow down to avoid getting a ticket, the report says.

It’s this philosphy that police say they’re banking on to help keep areas around schools safe.

“The bottom line is safety,” Banks said.

The department’s school zone policy could closely mimick a recent program started downtown that adopted a zero tolerance policy for violators of pedestrian laws, Banks said.

That approach was implimented to make the downtown area — which is home to some of the city’s most heavily traveled pedestrian traffic — more pedestrian friendly.

“It’s zero tolerance,” Banks said. “They have started ticketing people who don’t stop for pedestrians crossing in crosswalks and I even saw an officer ticket a jay walker.”

More Headlines>>