Speed Cameras To Be Located Near 4 Alexandria Public Schools

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Speed cameras are expected to be installed near four Alexandria City Public Schools locations.

ALX Now first reported the locations of the speed cameras from Monday's City Council Schools Subcommittee meeting. The locations will be Francis Hammond Middle School on Seminary Road, between Kenmore Avenue and North Jordan Street; John Adams Elementary School and Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School on North Beauregard Street between North Highview Lane and Reading Avenue; and George Washington Middle School on Mount Vernon Avenue between Braddock Road and Luray Avenue.

Speed cameras will be installed this spring and undergo testing, according to a memo presented at the meeting. The speed camera program is expected to be in place for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. City government plans to advertise the speed camera locations over the next few months before the program begins.

According to the city memo, locations were selected based on "factors such as crash history, traffic volumes, vehicle speeds, and age and number of students." Staff from the Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria City Public Schools, and the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services contributed to the decision.

Alexandria City Council had unanimously approved an ordinance allowing speed cameras in school zones and highway work zones as allowed by 2020 Virginia legislation. City government cited the effectiveness of speed cameras at reducing speeding violations, according to the city's speed camera web page. Speed cameras are one of the initiatives in the city’s Vision Zero plan to eliminate fatal and severe crashes by 2028.

School zones in Alexandria have a 15 mph speed limit when active. A speeding violation confirmed on a speed camera could result in a civil penalty up to $100 but not points to a driving record. Violations would be confirmed by a law enforcement officer checking the device.