SPOKANE, Wash. — The return to school means the return to 20 mile per hour speed limits in school zones, or facing a steep fine for drivers who don’t slow down.
Eight photo speed cameras placed in school zones throughout the city are making it easier to catch speedy drivers. In May, the camera that caught the highest number of speeding violations was the one on Regal Street between Ferris High School and Adams Elementary School.
Over 700 speeding tickets were issued near Ferris High School in May. Near Longfellow Elementary School, over 500 violations were recorded. Willard Elementary recorded just over 400 violations.
The enforcement system includes both speed cameras and red light cameras scattered across the city.
“I believe the highest fine amount is $250, but with a speed zone ticket that one of my motorcycle officers issues, it can go very, very expensive,” said Sergeant Teresa Fuller of the Spokane Police Department.
School zone violations carry serious consequences.
“If you get issued a school zone infraction, you cannot have it waived or reduced and it will go on your driving record. So we take those very seriously,” Fuller said.
The money from these tickets goes toward paying for the cameras themselves, funds a traffic patrol officer’s salary and traffic calming projects for the city. In 2025, the city expects to make over $4 million from these tickets.
“The countdown timers downtown on the don’t walk signs. Those are all paid for by photo enforcement. A lot of the hawk signals, the new pedestrian signals that we have. My understanding is those were also paid for out of the traffic calming fund through photo enforcement,” Fuller said.
The Spokane Police Department says these cameras do their job by slowing down drivers.
“Of all the people that have received a photo enforcement violation from the city of Spokane and paid it, about 90% of those people have never received another violation,” Fuller said.
The city plans to add more cameras near Shaw Middle School and Shadle Park High School.
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