Fairfax County police are recommending that the county move forward with plans to add more speed cameras to school zones across the Northern Virginia suburb, citing data that shows a drop in average speeds in most areas where cameras were added during a pilot program.
As part of a Board of Supervisors Safety and Security Committee meeting Tuesday, Assistant Police Chief Bob Blakley said the department is proposing moving toward the first phase of expanding the program. That would add 50 cameras to locations across the county, which are being selected with help from Fairfax County Public Schools, he said.
The program launched as a pilot in February 2023. Ten cameras were added across the county, and Blakley said they’ve been effective in keeping areas around schools safe during drop-off and dismissal.
Local governments across Northern Virginia have grappled with whether to and where to install speed cameras, ever since the state’s general assembly gave them the authority to add cameras to school or work zones in 2020.
“The program is effective,” Blakely told board members. “It’s just reminding the community that there’s a school zone. There’s some extra signs that talk about speed cameras, and it just reminds us all to go the speed limit, which is our No. 1 goal.”
From April 2023 to May 2024, over 20,000 violations were issued, according to county data. About 71% of them, Blakely said, were for driving 10 to 14 miles per hour over the speed limit.
Last school year, the camera near Francis Scott Key Middle, eastbound along Franconia Road, caught nearly 7,000 speeders, the most of any of the pilot cameras, according to data obtained by WTOP. The westbound Franconia Road camera there caught over 3,000.
The program, Blakely said, has come with a few challenges. In some cases, the Winko-matic lights were not synchronized properly, causing some drivers to get tickets when the lights weren’t flashing.
State law requires a sworn law enforcement officer to review violations, but the pilot program didn’t include any added positions, and sometimes, violations and summonses were mailed separately, giving violators a limited time to prepay.
Many of those issues have been addressed, Blakely said, adding that the department isn’t expecting similar challenges to arise as the program expands.
In the first phase of the expansion, 50 cameras would be installed over about five months, he said. About 10 cameras can be installed per month.
The second phase calls for another 30 cameras to be added.
Compared to post-pilot data and data collected earlier this year, average speeds fell in almost every area with a camera, Blakely said.
Near London Towne Elementary in Centreville, the average speed fell from over 36 mph before the pilot program to 29.8 mph in February.
The exception is near Terraset Elementary, where the average speed has increased.
Drivers caught going 10 to 14 mph above the posted speed limit get a $50 fine. There’s a $75 fine for 15-19 mph over, and $100 for 20 mph or more over.
The county reported $400,000 in net revenue this year, Blakely said.
Blakely said the speed camera program, and a long-awaited initiative to add stop-arm cameras to 50 Fairfax County school buses this fall, should help keep students safe.
“Nobody should be speeding in a school zone,” Dranesville District Supervisor James Bierman said. “I do not care, don’t do it.”
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