SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Spokane City Council is close to finalizing a contract that would install cameras in school zones.
They are hoping to put the new speed cameras near three schools in Spokane. Many are asking why speed cameras instead of speed limit signs that flash drivers' speeds.
Don Smith works right next to Longfellow Elementary School. He said he has seen everything from near misses to people racing down the street right by the school.
"I've heard breaks getting slammed, last minute calls," said Smith.
The City Council recently hired a company to find out just how many people speed in school zones. They found that near Finch Elementary School 84% of drivers were going at least six miles above the speed limit. Near Longfellow Elementary 53% were caught speeding.
"When we talked to folks in neighborhoods, we hear often the concerns about fast speeding cars and traffic," said City Councilman John Snyder.
That is why the City plans to install speed zone cameras as early as Spring 2015.
Both Finch and Longfellow Elementary schools will soon get the cameras and eventually Stevens Elementary School could as well.
"It will just be the times before school and after school when the signs are in activation," said Snyder. "It won't be 24 hours a day like the intersections will."
KREM 2 News asked the councilman why the flashing yellow lights already at most school zones are not enough.
"Apparently not, that's what we found from the testing so we're going to add this element to create a little bit more of a safety impact," said Snyder.
Instead of cameras, KREM 2 News asked if speed limit signs that flash drivers' speeds would be more effective. City leaders said they do have several of those around Spokane, but said they only work when they are first installed and then drivers start to ignore them.
"We want them to make sure that they know they're going into a 20 mph zone," said Snyder. "Speed flashing signs do that, problem is some people will see that and they still will not be cognoscente of their speed."
That is why some say it will take the cost of the ticket to get drivers to finally obey the 20 mile-per-hour signs.
KREM 2 News also asked the City how much it will cost to install the new speed zone cameras. They said the cost of putting them in is paid for by American Traffic Solutions, the company that installs them.
Once they start giving out tickets, the City will pay a monthly fee to the company.
They have not finalized what that monthly fee will be, but for the red light intersection cameras, the city pays about $4,000 per month.
