School Zone Safety Cameras

Print Feedback

Font Size: + -

The City of Mesa, the Mesa Police Department and American Traffic Solutions, Inc. (ATS) joined together to improve the safety for students, faculty and community members in the Rhodes Jr. High School corridor on West Baseline Road, between Longmore and Pennington.

The fixed-site speed cameras at school zones were the first of its kind in the State of Arizona. Photo enforcement between Pennington and Longmore was the first mid-block speed camera system in Mesa.

School zone safety cameras will detect vehicle presence and related speed 24 hours per day. The school zone safety cameras are interfaced with the flashing yellow warning lights at the school zones to determine if the speed limit is reduced to 35 MPH during school hours. If a vehicle commits an alleged speeding violation, the school zone safety camera will take two photographs of the vehicle. A second camera will photography the front of the vehicle for driver identification purposes. The school zone safety camera will capture a 10 second video clip of the alleged violation.

Based upon a City Transportation study, the 85th percentile speed for vehicles was 46.6 MPH during the 35 MPH school zone speed limit, with the original school zone signage configuration in 2005. City Transportation installed a driver speed feedback board and yellow flashing lights during 2006 and 2007. A follow-up study was completed in September 2008, after the installation of the school zone safety cameras. The City Transportation study reported the 85th percentile speed for vehicles was 36.8 MPH in a 35 MPH school zone speed limit.

The 85th percentile speed was reduced by 9.8 MPH. A standard vehicle traveling 36 MPH may be able to stop approximately 62 feet sooner than the same vehicle traveling at 46 MPH. The 62-foot reduction is the equivalent to the length of approximately three and one-half 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles parked end to end. This example is a clear demonstration that reducing speeds in school zones enhances safety within the corridor.

The program was expanded to include the Franklin@Brimhall corridor on Southern Avenue; the Fremont Jr. High School corridor on Power Road; Mesa High School corridor on Southern Avenue; Skyline High School corridor on Crismon Road; Red Mountain High School on Brown Road, Porter Elementary School corridor on Lindsay Road and Rhodes Jr. High School corridor on Baseline.

School Zone Flasher Schedules

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Word Viewer