t

School zone speed cameras are coming to Auburn

The goal of the program is to increase public safety, city officials said.

Speeders beware — school zone speed cameras are coming to Auburn.

The Auburn City Council unanimously passed a resolution allowing Mayor Nancy Backus to enter into an agreement with Arizona-based Verra Mobility that provides automated traffic safety cameras.

Speed cameras will be installed in somewhere between six and 12 school zones that currently have the flashing light beacons, city engineer Jacob Sweeting said during the Feb. 14 council meeting. Speeding in a school zone carries a fee of $200, according to the city code. The speed limit in school zones is 20 mph.

The goal of the program is to make school zones safer for students and other pedestrians, Sweeting said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“So the benefits of the school zone cameras is that it provides us constant and regular enforcement that will result in increased driver compliance and improved safety of students, pedestrians and other motorists near the schools,” Sweeting said.

The cameras will only be active when the beacons are flashing in the morning as kids are coming to school and in the afternoon when kids are leaving school, Sweeting said.

Between 2009 and 2019, 93 crashes happened in school zones while the beacons were flashing. Nine of those school zone crashes involved a pedestrian and 26 resulted in an injury, according to the city.

The contract is for five years because the city expects that over time, the cameras will train drivers not to speed in school zones, and the cameras will eventually become obsolete.

Verra Mobility is the company that will be providing the city with the cameras, according to council documents. The city chose Verra Mobility because several neighboring cities including Kent, Federal Way and Puyallup have similar contracts with that company, Sweeting said.

Each camera will cost $4,000 per month to operate, but the contract outlines that the city will never have to pay out of pocket for a camera, Sweeting said.

For example, if a camera only generates $3,000 in tickets, the city will only have to pay Verra Mobility that $3,000. On the other hand, if a camera generates $6,000 Auburn will only pay $4,000 and keep the rest, Director of Public Works Ingrid Gaub said.

The city anticipates there will be more than enough citations each month to pay for the cameras. The city conducted a preliminary study of school zones over a two-day period and recorded over 5,000 vehicles speeding in the school zones while the beacons were flashing.

At $200 a ticket, each camera would only have to issue 20 tickets per month in order to start generating revenue for the city.

The city is adamant that the intent behind this program isn’t simply to generate revenue for the city, but rather to increase public safety.

“From day one our absolute focus has been on safety,” Sweeting said. “Everything that we’re doing is trying to realize safety and also doing a way that’s not going to empty our pocketbooks.”

When the contract is finalized, the city will begin doing research to determine which school zones should receive the cameras, then have the program up and running by the fall of 2022, Sweeting said.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in Northwest

Courtesy Photo, Renton Police
Renton Police Department expands vehicle fleet

Council approves purchase of 18 vehicles for $1.1 million.

t
New catalytic converter law aimed at deterring theft in WA

The new law also creates specific and real penalties for people who don’t follow the rules.

t
Federal Way woman indicted for scamming elderly Korean community

She allegedly spent nearly $1 million at casinos.

t
Federal Way hotels for homeless to be fully open by fall 2025

The two King County properties will function quite differently.

t
Sound Transit Board officially hires Dow Constantine as CEO

Annual salary starts at $450,000 which chances each year for high pay hikes

Two people from the video shooting at someone they saw in a parked car. Courtesy photo.
Suspects fire multiple rounds at parked vehicle in Federal Way

See the video: The shooting occurred March 16 at an Arco gas station on Pacific Highway near Kent

John Wilson. COURTESY PHOTO
Wilson criticizes Sound Transit’s choice of Constantine as CEO

King County executive candidate says ‘too many insiders taking care of each other instead of the public’

Sumo Dog’s The Godzilla was the favorite of the day at the Menu Preview Day. Photo by Ben Ray/Sound Publishing
Hall of Fame-worthy ballpark eats at T-Mobile Park in 2025

The Mariners Menu Preview Day brought local cuisine and legendary baseball dedications to the 2025 season, with opening day on March 27.

t
Two charged for February Auburn murder

Zaire Orr, 18, allegedly tried to rob the 19-tear-old man and then shot him; teen, 15, also charged

Through the trees at the empty facility designed to become a behavioral health crisis center at 822 S. 333rd St., the yellow signs of the roundabout in front of the Federal Way Community Center can be seen (middle right of photo). Council members and community members expressed concern about the proximity of the facility to the community center. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / Sound Publishing
Federal Way City Council says no to opening crisis center

Concerns include the location of the proposed center and potential increased police response.

(Screenshot/Courtesy of King County)
Fingerprint ID levy to go before King County voters in April special election

The levy would authorize an additional property tax for seven years, beginning in 2026.

The grave of Jimi Hendrix at Greenwood Memorial Park in Renton. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
State honors Jimi Hendrix with posthumous Medal of Merit

The Seattle-born rock star’s memorial and burial site is located in the Renton Highlands.