Speeders in Spokane Valley school zones about to be caught and ticketed by cameras

Traffic cameras may be installed on Spokane Valley streets next year to catch drivers speeding in school zones.

The Spokane Valley City Council approved the camera program for the first time since the city’s inception. The city has yet to decide how many cameras will be set up and when and where they will be placed.

Ben Wick was the only council member who voted against the camera installation, saying that he was hesitant about introducing more cameras to local roadways. Cameras could create a liability for the city, Wick said.

“We could have similar effectiveness if we used regular radars that don’t include camera systems,” Wick said.

Several other council members, including Jessica Yaeger and Laura Padden, voiced concerns about local privacy, but were open to trying out the speed camera program.

“I would urge caution when we pursue this path of placing cameras everywhere that can eventually, through some nefarious act, be turned on us,” incoming Councilman Mike Kelly said during the public comment portion of the meeting.

The ultimate goal of the program is to increase safety for kids attending Spokane Valley schools, Traffic Engineering Manager Jeremy Clark said.

“We are grateful for the effective partnership and clear communication we have had with the Spokane Valley City Council throughout this process,” Central Valley School Superintendent John Parker wrote in a statement to The Spokesman-Review. “Working collaboratively ensures that safety remains a shared priority, particularly around our school zones. Our understanding is that the City will next evaluate the areas best suited for these cameras, and we look forward to continued communication with the City and any of our affected schools.”

The city is now looking for a vendor. After one is chosen, it will conduct a speed study and recommend which schools get speed cameras. City staff will also look at the data and make the final decision on where cameras will be installed.

The images taken by the camera program would not include the faces of the people in the vehicle, Clark said, and the cameras will not be connected to a shared data collection system. The city and the vendor would make money from speeding ticket fines, Clark said.

The school speed camera program has been presented to the council several times over the past few months, including in October, when Clark discussed five school zones that were selected to be in a pilot study evaluating speeds in school zones.

Information presented to the council noted an estimate of a $145 fine for cars speeding 6-10 mph over the posted school zone limit. The fines would sharply increase for drivers exceeding the speed limit by more.

Centennial Middle School, University High School, Ponderosa Elementary School, Bowdish Middle School and Riverbend Elementary School were all monitored on Jan. 28, 29 and 30. Speeding vehicles were considered as a violation if exceeding the speed limit by more than 5 mph .

Michele Salazar, who picks up her grandson from Centennial Middle School once or twice a week, said she sees people speeding on Ella Road and Broadway Avenue all the time.

“In this area, when I’m sitting here waiting for my grandson, people go 20 miles per hour. But once they get past the school, they speed up,” Salazar said. “I think speed cameras could help a little bit.”

Andrew Wickwire, who was waiting outside the school to pick up his wife, agreed.

“I’ve noticed people are always flying through here and on Broadway,” Wickwire said. “When it’s pick-up time, people are driving 30 miles per hour, when they should be going 20.”

Wickwire himself has been pulled over on Broadway. Now he says he is much more aware of the speed limits in the area.

According to Spokane Valley Police Chief Dave Ellis, officers have issued 388 speeding tickets in school zones this year. About 15% of all the speeding tickets in Spokane Valley are written in school zones.

More than 40% of drivers speed in school zones, Clark said.

The goal, Clark said, is to install the cameras by the beginning of the next school year. The idea for the cameras came because of an increase in complaints from residents about speeding drivers, he said.

“This is one way to relieve some stress on the police force that provides another avenue to continue that enforcement,” Clark said.

The presence of the cameras typically reduces speeding drivers by 50%, Clark said. And once the cameras begin issuing citations, 90% of people who get tickets never get a second one, Clark said.

After the cameras are posted, there will be a minimum 30-day period where the cameras will simply issue violation warnings. After that, the cameras will be fully operational and send tickets to the registered driver of the speeding vehicle captured.