Looking south on North Albany Road at Thornton Lake Drive, where traffic cameras had no school zone to enforce on Sunday, June 22, 2025.
What are the chances that Albany will install flashing lights to warn drivers that schools are in session at locations where the city has traffic cameras? Slim to none, unless the city council orders it done.
On June 11, council members Carolyn McLeod and Steph Newton spoke up in favor of installing such lights. Flashing lights would alert drivers that this is a school day, meaning that going through a school zone at 31 mph or faster would likely yield a speeding ticket. .
(Besides catching red-light runners, the city’s traffic cameras are set to catch drivers going more than 10 mph faster than the posted speed, which in school zones is 20 mph from 7 to 5 on school days.)
The two council members spoke after, earlier in the meeting, a woman told the council she was ticketed by the new traffic cameras on North Albany Road. She believed it was not a school day based on what she could see of North Albany Elementary. The grade school was closed, but North Albany Middle, which can’t easily be seen from the street, was in session.
City Engineer Staci Belcastro looked into the flashing-light suggestion and reported to the council on Wednesday. Flashing lights are estimated to cost $50,000 to $60,000 to install, she said.
As I understood it, there are other complications. Somebody would have to be tasked with turning the lights on and off. Depending on the type of light, batteries would have to be changed from time to time, and that might cost $6,000 or $7,000.
One question that might be asked: Operation of the cameras already is coordinated with the school schedule, so why not tie the flashing lights in with that?
And as for costs, why not pay them from the revenue the traffic cameras bring in?
On Wednesday night, the council asked no questions and took no action. So unless McLeod or Newton stick with it and get two other members to join them in a vote to install flashing lights where appropriate, nothing along that line will be done.
North Albany Road is the only Albany school zone where someone driving the legal speed limit of 40 mph can get a ticket by not realizing it’s a school day.
Queen Avenue at Elm Street will be the only other school intersection to get cameras, later this year, but there the normal speed limit is 25 and nobody going close to the legal limit needs to worry about getting a school zone ticket. (hh)
Good point Hasso about tying them into the cameras. Which goes to show, if they don’t, it’s not about safety but raising revenue.
“North Albany Road is the only Albany school zone where someone driving the legal speed limit of 40 mph can get a ticket by not realizing it’s a school day.”
This certainly explains the intention of the council. Do we get quarterly ROI’s on the camera’s? What is the net profit to the city so far?
Hasso writes, “North Albany Road is the only Albany school zone where someone driving the legal speed limit of 40 mph can get a ticket by not realizing it’s a school day.”
“Not realizing,” is not a defense. A general rule: From anytime after Labor Day until early June, assume school is in session and adjust your need for speed accordingly. It really doesn’t seem that difficult.
we don’t need flashing lights for school zones; the speed limit signs are good enough. Good grief people us common sense. The people who won’t obey speed limit signs are the same people who would not pay attention to the flashing lights.
The point is not to remind people of the speed limit. The point is to tell people when the speed limit is in effect.
Hasso,
Your suggestions about tying the flashing light schedule/costs to the current camera operation schedule makes too much sense. Seems logical to me that a flashing light might be an additional trigger to alert a driver to slow down during school times and maybe save a life rather than relying on just the threat of a camera citation? So if logistics and expenses can be absorbed by the current camera plan why not do it? Or, is it just as much about a revenue stream as it is about improving safety in that area?
Here you go… top of line, $4951 not including shipping and poles, purchase the poles and a couple concrete bags over at Parr Lumber or MacDonald Hardware (shop local). Battery replacement is $116. Looking forward to getting involved with the North Albany Neighborhood Association. Brad Dennis, thank you for reforming this association and I look forward to being a member, using my skill sets to help you in any way I can.
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Bravo, Steven. Please go to the next Council meeting to insert some intelligence into their discussions!
I prefer to go through my two council ward representatives and the leadership team of the N.A. association. Mr. Dennis speaks for the N. Albany assoc. at the council meetings and he does it well. I look forward to the next NANA meeting where we can discuss decisions made by staff (like this one), and what the association’s actions and positions should be.
The flashing lights was the right solution in the first place if the issue was safety. Prevention of any crime should be the cities goal. The lights could also be turned on when there are activities at the school beyond school hours and turned off during days when the school is closed for holidays or other closures. The kiddos safety is something most people care about and most people will remind their own families to drive safe. People would be more appreciative of the city’s efforts to protect their children rather than punishing them for doing something that would hurt them after the fact.
What’s funny is 20 years ago there use to be such a light on north Albany Rd. Right next to the schools in question so why would a flashing yellow light that is already in place cost more than most people make in a whole year. And $6000-$7000 for changing batteries someones is definitely pocketing some of that money because even the most expensive batteries I could think of for a light such as that would be less than $500 and begs the question why not solar?
One of the issues is the cost of getting the ticket when one does not realize it is a school day. And by cost, I am not referring to the ticket itself, but the damage it does to ones insurance and driving record. A ticket for going 20 mph over the speed limit, especially in a school zone is very damaging to ones insurance and driving record. I would hope that our city of Albany would be so kind as the city of Corvallis and follow with a similar courtesy like they have on Highland Blvd for Crescent Valley HS. (btw, not whining out of personal concern for myself as I can boast having a 53-year ticket-free driving record, but out of concern for others in our community.)
Driving past South Albany high school, I’ve often wondered why there are special speed limits, meant for the protection of small children, yet for high school students. These no longer children are young adults and if they haven’t learned to watch for traffic when crossing streets, they likely never will!
If the point is to keep students safe, then a flashing light should be installed. Where we used to live, there was not one school zone that didn’t have a flashing schools in session sign. Not one. And everybody slowed down and drove carefully. Seems to me all the council wants is to generate funds from speeders, not the safety of the pedestrians.