This is where a flashing light will tell southbound drivers on North Albany Road that the 20 mph school zone is in effect.
Drivers on North Albany and Santiam roads last month managed to trip Albany’s speed cameras even more often than the month before. How come? Haven’t they been warned enough?
The Albany Police Department has posted the camera statistics for speed and red-light enforcement for March. The “open dashboard” appears on the city’s website here.
For the month, the cameras at four Albany intersections generated 944 tickets, 863 for speeding and 81 for running a red light.
The dashboard is not static, even though the numbers a reflect a month that is already over. Between Saturday morning and Saturday night (April 4), the totals for March had gone up.
More than 300 citations each were reported for Santiam Road at Geary Street, and in the school zone on North Albany Road.
The North Albany total is surprising because in March the school zone there was not in force for the week of spring break.
The cameras on Queen Avenue at Elm Street generated fewer than half the total tickets of either of the two leading locations.
And on the two approaches at Queen Avenue and Geary Street, the cameras were the least productive, generating only a smattering of tickets.
On North Albany Road, the number of school zone speed violations should plummet once flashing lights are installed. The city council ordered the lights last September, and a contractor has started construction.
According to city officials, the 20 mph school zone is in effect only during times when students arrive or leave school, not for 10 hours every school day as now. The rest of the time, the speed limit on North Albany Road is 40 mph.
The speed cameras go off only when vehicles exceed the posted limit by 11 miles an hour or more. (hh)
Traffic delineators belonging to the contractor mark where the flashing signal will be installed.
Hasso, most of the drivers on the roads were toddlers or not born yet when we had traffic cops that patrolled or parked along roads and turned on their flashing lights and sirens and pulled speeding cars over and issued tickets. People drive too damned fast now, and they are talking on their smart phones at the same time. So, there ‘ya go.
Did the Queen and Geary register the crash? Also, how many of these ticket winners are from Albany/N Albany?
What Queen and Geary crash are you talking about?
I would bet if each od those tickets was checked by the person who got the ticket, the city would have to dismiss alot of them . There is no reason to have confidence in that system.
Which city official? Name names cause they are not doing that. They ticket all day not just the 20 min widow.
No one think poor road engineering to go from 40 to 20 but only on certain days and times? Perhaps change speed elsewhere to “tuesday when it rains” and see how that work. Road should be one speed limit to respect businesses residential church schools park and train crossings all along road and then remove cameras already!
Sam! You missed the point!
Apparently Albany motor vehicle operators are not the brightest bulbs.
I think the cameras are a great idea unless they can put patrol officers everywhere, they should be at all major intersections. People just don’t pay attention and drive to fast. To many accidents.
What part of School Zone don’t you understand ???
Perhaps the south end where the misguided cams can’t possibly snap any plates!!!!
“On North Albany Road, the number of school zone speed violations should plummet once flashing lights are installed.”
What makes you think that Hasso? You ALREADY have a big sign. It states the speed limit, it states the days and times. The word SCHOOL is capitalize and highlighted in bright yellow. You have two bright yellow flags. What makes you think that folks who are ignoring all the above now, won’t just ignore the lights?!?
They might ignore the lights, but the enforcement time window will be much shorter than the current 10 hours.
Touche!
(shaking head) Seriously Hesso? Do you honestly think a shorter enforcement time is going to make any more of a difference than blinking lights? That is a rhetorical question by-the-way since by your own admission, they are going to ignore the lights just as they are ignoring the signs and flags. Do you honestly think that people are going to be paying attention to what TIME it is? I actually had someone tell me that it was ridiculous to expect people to maintain a consistent 25mph when they have other things on their mind?!?
It USED to be that people were held accountable for their bad choices. When I got popped for speeding on I-5 several months back it never even dawned on me to argue with the cop or the Judge because I was totally responsible for having exceeded the speed limit.
Unless you are having a life-threatening medical emergency, there is ZERO reason to speed through a school zone…none, nada, zilch! A typical school zone is one to two ‘blocks’ and takes approximately 9 to 22 seconds to travel at 20mph. If you take that extra 4.5 to 11 seconds to slow the heck down…then you shouldn’t be driving. It’s just that simple.
My younger brother got caught by that one on the way back from school one day. It’s completely anecdotal, but he simply wasn’t paying attention to his speed, and was a bit of an idiot. I have to assume there’s a whole lot of that going on. People who either completely space that there is a speed limit change coming up, or people who are just too impatient and feel like they need to get wherever quicker.
My test: I have released my foot from the gas pedal at the roundabout and coasted down to the intersection and was still speeding by the time I got there in my truck. Sure, we should all be able to brake and it was just a test, but I think it shows the deck is stacked against you coming down the hill.
It funny when you said the tickets are more over in north Albany as I drive over there and I have some one riding my bumper all the time .They all seem to be late for something who knows .Maybe take the time smell the flowers and watch the speed signs they are bright yellow and white you can’t miss them .O wait apparently you can .
Interesting that the City is hiring for a Temporary Automated Traffic Enforcement Agent right now.
Well I bet APD and the city are not too happy with the GAPS school board after their meeting on the 7th. There was much talk of closing both NAES and NAMS between multiple work groups as the district is looking at consolidation. That would surely put a wrinkle in all the effort put into N. Albany Rd.
Also, the recent spike on N. Albany Rd. is large in part due to construction contractors working in the area. Whenever I’m behind one that has clear road in front of them they are speeding right through the school zone with their company marked vehichles.
Those closures won’t happen for another 3 years. Nothing they would be upset over just yet.