Columbus Police to Implement School Zone Cameras Starting Aug. 8

By Jason A. Caffey Sr.

Drivers need to be aware of new school zone cameras and the importance of slowing down beginning Aug. 8.

During the first 30 days of school, the Columbus Police Department will issue warnings. However, beginning Sept. 9, citations will be given. 

Citations will be issued from one hour before school, throughout the school day, until one hour after school, only when school is in session.

Traffic studies have found hundreds of drivers each day exceeding 10 miles over the speed limit in school zones, creating a hazard for schoolchildren and crossing guards alike.

“Motorists will only be cited if they exceed the school zone limit by 11 miles per hour,” according to a flyer from the Columbus Police Department. “The goal of the program is to get drivers to slow down.”

The National Safety Council also suggests the following for parents picking up and dropping off schoolchildren:

• Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street.
• Never pass a bus loading or unloading children.
• The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them to safely enter and exit the bus.

The cameras will be located at the following elementary and middle schools:

• Blanchard Elementary School, 3512 Weems Road, Columbus, Ga. 31909
• Clubview Elementary School, 2836 Edgewood Road, Columbus, Ga. 31906.
• Double Churches Elementary School, 1213 Double Churches Road, Columbus, Ga. 31904.
• Downtown Elementary Magnet Academy, 1400 1^st Ave., Columbus, Ga. 31901.
• Forrest Road Elementary School, 6400 Forrest Road, Columbus, Ga. 31907.
• Hanna Elementary School, 1338 Talbotton Road, Columbus, Ga. 31901.
• Martin Luther King Elementary School, 350 Thirtieth Avenue, Columbus, Ga. 31903.
• Reese Road Leadership Academy, 3100 Reese Road, Columbus, Ga. 31907.
• Rigdon Road Elementary School, 1320 Rigdon Road, Columbus, Ga. 31906.
• River Road Elementary School, 516 Heath Drive, Columbus, Ga. 31904.
• Waddell Elementary School, 6101 Miller Road, Columbus, Ga. 31907.
• Wynnton Acts Academy, 2303 Wynnton Road, Columbus, Ga. 31906.
• Blackmon Road Middle School, 7251 Blackmon Road, Columbus, GA 31909.
• Eagle Ridge Academy, 7576 Raider Way, Columbus, Ga. 31909.
• Eddy Middle School, 2100 South Lumpkin Road, Columbus, Ga. 31903.
• Fort Middle School, 2900 Woodruff Farm Road, Columbus, Ga. 31907.
• Georgetown Elementary School, 954 High Lane, Columbus, Ga. 31907.
• Midland Middle School, 6990 Warm Springs Road, Midland, Ga. 31820.

For more information related to back-to-school safety, visit: https://www.nsc.org/community-safety/safety-topics/school-safety/school-safety-home.