The city of Greensboro wants to use electronic monitoring to catch speed limit violations in school zones. State lawmakers have filed a senate bill that would allow for the creation of a pilot program at some sites.
The Greensboro Police Department would select the school zones for electronic speed-measuring, but the Guilford County School superintendent would have to approve those locations. Under the proposed measure, if someone goes over the limit, a camera would capture the license plate and that person would receive a civil penalty of $250 by mail.
Notification signs will be posted, so drivers are aware that they're approaching these zones. Hanna Cockburn, director of the city's Transportation Department, says national studies show that these systems are effective in decreasing the number of crashes and improving compliance.
“Given the research around this topic, implementation of a pilot gives us enough information to evaluate its value on a more citywide basis and really communities across the state,” says Cockburn.
Greensboro officials would have three years to collect data and submit a report to state lawmakers for review.
Cockburn says the initiative is very similar to a pilot that's also being considered in Durham.
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