Residents who may be tempted to speed down Second Avenue Southeast near Issaquah High School might want to take their foot off the gas beginning Monday, March 16.
The city of Issaquah is initiating a “photo enforcement program” to catch speeders in the act by snapping a shot of their license plate. The program is designed to increase pedestrian safety in an area surrounded by four local schools: Issaquah High School, Issaquah Middle School, Clark Elementary, and Tiger Mountain Community High.
“It really increases safety for all children in schools, and this is a prime area to approach this program,” said Issaquah Police Cmdr. Scott Behrbaum.
The cameras will operate on school days from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and will monitor both directions of traffic.
The system is a combination of sensor, video and photo, Behrbaum said.
Small sensors installed in the roadway will detect when a car is going faster than the 20 mph speed limit, and will trigger the camera to begin recording video. It will also take a picture of the rear license plate.
Officers will then review the film and video and verify if a person was speeding before issuing an infraction.
And there are checks in place to make sure the system is working correctly, Behrbaum said. Once a month, the sensors will be tested against handheld radar guns to make sure they match up.
For the first several weeks, speeders will only receive warnings. But, beginning April 17, the department will begin issuing infractions, Behrbaum said.
Infractions are similar to parking tickets and won’t appear on a driver’s record. This is because police can’t verify who was driving the car, he said.
The program won’t come at a major cost to the city, because the company contracted to put the systems in place will be helping to run them.
“It’s a cost-neutral system,” Behrbaum said. “No tax dollars will be used whatsoever.”
This is the first time Issaquah has used this type program, which has been useful in other cities, including Renton.
“A lot of other jurisdictions are really seeing the benefits of this system,” he said. “The cameras have been very effective at reducing speeding and increasing safety.”
