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Lawmakers consider reductions to school zone speeding fines
Tens of thousands of Georgia drivers have checked their mailboxes and been surprised to find a speeding ticket. More cities and counties have added cameras in school zones to catch speeders. But now, some state lawmakers want to put new limits on the practice.
ATLANTA - A Georgia House committee is expected to look at two proposals Tuesday that could change how school zone speed cameras operate.
While some have applauded the cameras as a helpful tool to cut down on speeding near campuses, others have complained the devices are not clearly marked and act as "speed traps."
"You're ticketing people who may have never gotten a ticket in their life," said Dawn Scott, who received a citation for allegedly speeding in a Canton school zone in November.
Scott said she does not drive over the speed limit and that she was not the one behind the wheel at the time. She fought the ticket.
Scott also shot video showing what she believes is unclear signage, especially since the school zone on East Main Street is about half a mile from Hasty Elementary School on Brown Industrial Parkway.
"If people know they're in a school zone, they're not going to deliberately try and run over children," Scott said.
State Rep. J. Collins, R-Villa Rica, filed a bill to require that signs identifying the camera-enforced school zones include flashing yellow lights while enforcement is in effect. The legislation also proposes shortening the windows during which the cameras can operate to just 30 minutes before and after school begins and ends, unless the school prioperty "is bisected by a highway." In that case, the cameras could operate all day beginning an hour before school and ending an hour after.
A second bill sponsored by state Rep. Jason Ridley, R-Chatsworth, would dramatically cut down on the fines for those caught by speed enforcement cameras.
The fine for passing a school bus is currently $250. Under Ridley's legislation, it would go down to $10. The camera-enforced speeding fine would go from $75 for the first offense down to $10 and from $125 for a second offense down to $20.
Since 2019, the Georgia Department of Transportation has approved permits for more than a hundred school zone cameras across North Georgia. According to GDOT records, Cherokee County has 8, Clayton County has 14, DeKalb County has 2, Fulton County has 24 and Gwinnett County has 27.