MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Children in the Mid-South are back in school, and the City of Memphis is taking steps to keep the kids safe.
Drivers will now notice speed cameras in several school zones.
“I think it’s good, especially up and down this road here,” parent Rodrick Selmon said. “It’s residential, so a lot of people don’t take into consideration there are a lot of children walking before and after school.”
The City of Memphis said it studied the accident history at more than 300 locations. The areas with the highest percentage of speeders get the traffic cameras.
“I believe that it’s going to be a good idea,” parent Tamaira Brown said. “A lot of times, cars do speed through here. It’s a busy neighborhood at that time. So I think to keep the students’ safe, it would be a good idea to have those there.”
It’s not uncommon to see cars speeding through school zones, which concerns Angela Yang, who walks her daughter Kelly to and from Richland Elementary School. Both were relieved to know things are being put in place to keep them safe.
“It makes me feel protected, and I won’t be hurt or harmed,” Kelly Yang said.
According to the City, the cameras will be active 45 minutes before and after school. During this time, the cameras will digitally capture speeders and are only triggered when a driver is speeding.
Parents hope the cameras will cause drivers to think twice the next time they’re tempted to blow through a school zone.
“I hope that it just improves the safety throughout Memphis,” Tamaira Brown said. “There are a lot of schools in the city. It’s a large city, so anything that can improve the safety of our babies is helpful.”
There will be a $50 fine for drivers speeding in these locations. The cameras will all be launching soon.
