Some Neighbors Wonder if Regester Ave. Camera Will Catch Drivers

, a speed camera on Regester Avenue is finally installed and ready to go.

The exact placement of the camera, however, has some residents wondering how many drivers they'll catch.

The camera——is trained on westbound lanes of Regester near Banbury Road, just a few hundred feet from the intersection of Sherwood Road.

Juliet Fisher, a Stoneleigh parent, said that's well before many drivers coming off the intersection pick up speed on Regester. It is near an official crosswalk at Kenleigh Road, but Fisher said many Stoneleigh Elementary students and parents who cross at Regester actually cross at Copeleigh Road, a block away.

She said other parents were surprised to hear about the camera's location.

"The speed camera should be between Copeleigh and Kenleigh, because then it protects both," Fisher said. "I just don't understand who puts a speed camera next to a red light."

Though she said she appreciates getting the camera on Regester, "I want to make sure that if we're getting this, it helps as many kids as possible that are crossing," she said.

County law requires that the cameras be placed in school zones (within a half-mile of a school). Either location, according to online maps, would be within that requirement.

Cpl. Cathy Batton, a police spokeswoman, said the exact placement of cameras is decided by traffic data, neighbor complaints, traffic engineering requirements and existing infrastructure in the roadway.

"We also monitor the sites for their effectiveness for modifying drivers' behavior and making the area safe for children," Batton said, noting that the county could move the camera if need be.

"The important thing is for motorists to know that the camera is there," police spokeswoman Elise Armacost said.

Either way, Regester Avenue residents say, every little bit helps.

Amelle Schultz, a mother of two young boys in the 700 block of Regester, said it's "weird" that the camera isn't at the more popular crosswalk, but that a camera would at least be in force more often than the police officers who occasionally pull over speeders on her street.

"I've always thought that it was really odd that the speed limit was never enforced in the past," she said.

Outside his home in the 700 block of Regester, Kevin Browne points out a half-dozen vehicles he says are going above the 25 mph speed limit. The cameras will issue citations for those going more than 12 miles over the speed limit (the cameras will only issue warnings for the first 30 days after activation).

"I bet he's going more the speed limit," Browne said, pointing to an armored car. He recalled being followed by eight cars behind him while he was going "25 or less" on his way home down Regester. When he pulled into his driveway, another driver honked at him.

"I'd just like to see the speed controlled," he said, though "there are probably other areas of the county that could use (the camera) more."