NORFOLK, Va. — Norfolk drivers noticed new equipment sitting near Norfolk Public Schools.
“They should have been in a long time ago,” said Norfolk resident Bobby Bright.
Some said they were relieved to see it.
“Something’s got to be done to make people more aware of what’s going on around them,” said Norfolk resident Lynne Exon.
“You have kids being hit," Bright said. "People ain’t slowing down at crosswalks. There’s no respect.”
Monday morning, city staff activated a 60-day warning period for speeding cameras in multiple school zones.
"We wanted to make sure that citizens were duly informed that the system was going active,” said John Stevenson, the director of Norfolk's Department of Transportation.
City crews installed 19 cameras across 10 public schools in Norfolk. Drivers I spoke to say this new technology is much needed.
“It was about time..." Exon said. "because we’ve had enough…school crossing guards have been injured trying to save children when people are speeding.”
“A couple of the schools that were chosen were because of incidents where children were severely injured,” Stevenson said,
Norfolk joins other Hampton Roads cities in the effort to get drivers to pump the brakes. Chesapeake, Suffolk and Portsmouth installed speed cameras around several schools.
“We kind of followed other localities, learned the lessons from other localities to try and do it correctly,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson said if someone speeds by a school zone, the city's vendor, Verra Mobility, will take the initial look to determine if there is a violation.
"Then, their recommendation is sent to Norfolk Police Department," he said. "Our police department has 10 days to review the video and determine if, in fact, there was in their mind a violation."
Once a violation is confirmed, drivers will get the fine in the mail. Drivers hope this initiative works so the school community can feel safe.
The warning period ends May 3. After that, violators will have to pay a $100 fine if caught speeding.