As Arlington Public Schools gear up to open their doors on August 26, the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) and Arlington County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) are initiating a safety campaign for the back-to-school season, according to a recent announcement. With more children hitting the sidewalks and streets to get to school on foot, by bike, or on the bus, law enforcement plans to increase their presence around school zones to encourage safe travel and compliance with traffic laws.
Part of the campaign includes a high-visibility transportation safety initiative, with signs erected along key routes reminding travelers of the impending school year and promoting vigilance on the roads. Despite this effort toward communal guardianship of our youngest residents, the PhotoSPEED program is also launching to deter speeding in school zones. The system will start bookkeeping on the first day of school by issuing warnings. This introduction of speed cameras is a clear move to advance Arlington County's Vision Zero initiative, which prioritizes the diminishing of traffic fatalities and severe accidents.
The PhotoSPEED program will station cameras across ten critical locations near schools to record and, eventually, fine vehicles that surpass posted speed limits during times when children are typically arriving or departing from school. Initially, these cameras will serve to warn, but come September 25, they'll dispense $100 civil fines per offense. These measures fall in line with ongoing projects under the Automated Safety Enforcement Program and bolster the greater, safety-centric Vision Zero mission in Arlington.
The Department of Environmental Services has also done its part, having recently completed updates to more than 40 school zones in the county. A reflective output of local governance's concern has been to adapt school zones by new safety guidelines developed through collaboration with Arlington Public Schools staff, "as of summer 2024," the department states. Furthermore, the introduction of tactical speed humps in 2023 sought to reduce vehicle speeds within school slow zones, directly addressing areas where standard speed limit reductions failed to curb excessive vehicular haste.
Drivers should follow speed limits during school hours, avoid distractions, and stop for school buses. Pedestrians should use crosswalks and follow crossing guards' instructions.
