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Speed cameras in city of Decatur school zones set to go online next month

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Published  September 17, 2024 11:37pm EDT
Decatur
FOX 5 Atlanta

How Decatur is working to make streets safer

A Decatur group’s push for safer streets gets rolling with new speed cameras installed in several school zones. Those cameras are set to go live starting next month.

In brief:

    • New speed cameras have been installed in school zones in the city of Decatur; operational next month with citation issuance starting in November.
    • The cameras are a result of a five-year community effort led by the group Calm Decatur to improve pedestrian safety.
    • Recent years have seen pedestrian accidents and fatalities in Decatur, including one incident involving a crossing guard being hit.
    • Speed cameras are seen as a measure to protect kids and reduce accidents, expected to reduce speeding by 90% within the first three months.
    • There will be a public education campaign followed by a 30-day grace period with warning citations before actual citations are mailed to violators.

DECATUR, Ga. - A community group’s push for safer streets in the city of Decatur saw momentum with new speed cameras installed in school zones around the city. Those cameras will start clocking driver speeds next month and issuing citations in November. 

Community organizers told FOX 5 it’s a much-needed investment in safety they’ve worked for quite some time to see. 

"We’ve been pushing for, and the city has been working for this for five years," resident Patricia Liscio said.  

In the 4.4 square miles that make up the city of Decatur, Liscio says walking is a way of life. That’s why she and other residents joined together to form Calm Decatur—a group dedicated to increasing safety for pedestrians on city streets. 

"It’s part of the city of Decatur culture," she explained. 

Resident James Rodatus says that way of life has been threatened in recent years by careless drivers. 

"Since I’ve lived here in 2016, three fatalities have happened at that intersection," he said, referring to South Candler Street and Midway Road. 

Decatur police say they have been called to 24 pedestrian-involved accidents, including one fatality, at intersections across the city since last January. 

"One of the crossing guards was hit by a hit-and-run driver last year," Rodatus recalled. 

That crossing guard, hailed as a hero for shielding a student from harm, made a full recovery.  

Rodatus and Liscio say they believe new speed cameras set to go live next month will help ensure no one else gets hurt. 

"We hope the speed cameras are one of the things that will help make these stretches of road safer for the kids in our community," Rodatus told FOX 5. 

Decatur City Commissioners held a vote Monday night to finalize the list of roads where cameras have been installed. The locations include:  

  • Scott Boulevard near Westchester Elementary School 
  • West College Avenue near Beacon Hill Middle and Oakhurst Elementary schools 
  • Clairemont Avenue near Clairemont Elementary School 
  • Church Street near Clairemont Elementary 
  • South Candler Street near Winnona Park Elementary School 

The cameras will operate one hour before and after school--on school days only. City officials plan to do a two-week public education campaign starting at the end of this month. 

 "They have been shown to reduce speeding by 90 percent within the first three months, so we’re really excited to see their effect," Liscio stated.  

There will be a 30-day grace period of warning citations from Oct. 14 to Nov. 12. After Nov. 13, real citations will be sent to speeders in the mail.