Dear Editor:
I am not against cameras catching speeders in a school zone, nor am I against towns making an income with this technique. I am against school zones not protecting the children, and I am also against any system that is unfair to those travelers by truck or car that are driving through the school speed zone.
On Jan. 31, 2025, I was observed by camera driving 33 mph in the school zone in Lawtey. Several weeks later I received a violation notice and an amount due of $100. Of course, I did not realize I was speeding and was quite surprised to receive the notice. I decided to check into the issue more closely.
From online videos, which were not dated, taken on Highway 301 going south through Lawtey, in front of the school, there is one small sign on the right which says there is a school speed zone ahead of 20 mph. After that, there is a sign showing two students walking, another announcing video cameras, and a third stating speeding tickets would be doubled. As the school zone is approached before the 20 mph ahead sign is seen, the legal speed limit is 45 mph. With the speed limit at 45 mph just before the school speed zone is entered, the driver does not have time to slow down before getting into that school zone in most cases. And just with one very small sign, the 20-mph sign, could easily be missed by a driver in the left-hand lane with a vehicle to the right.
The school speeding zone is indeed very short at only 127 yards. Before the 20 mph sign ahead mentioned above, there was nothing on the roadside suggesting a school speed zone ahead. And yet on the right before the 20-mph sign, the school sports field and Adams Road have had already been passed. Both can be easily accessed by students.
The object of this note is to explain to the people of Bradford County, the Lawtey town commissioners and the police force that the signage present does not produce enough safety for the children and is also grossly unfair to those driving through town.
My proposal:
There should be two signs saying the speed zone speed limit is 20 mph placed 150 yards before the sports field. They should have blinking lights, and one should be on each side of the road heading south. Similar signage should also be present heading north from the south side of the town. There is island space for these signs so that one would be to the right and one to the left going in each direction. This would allow the drivers to have time to slow down well before the school property. The present cameras could be left where they are now since obviously the most congested area and chance for accident or injury is at the junction with Lake Street.
Also, I would place another blinking 20 mph speed sign between the initial double sign and the overhead sign which is already present. Certainly, more signs showing students walking would be appropriate. This would require a total of six speed limit signs with blinking lights. The blinking lights would only function during school hours. And they could be powered by solar panels with battery backup.
School speed zone signs are also needed on Lake Street on both sides of the railroad tracks, especially related to the streets that run perpendicular to Lake Street and head toward the school.
Also, before each double sign going both north and south, it is recommended that there be a sign reading “Welcome to Lawtey, Florida,” and below that text would say “School Speed Zone Ahead.”
The new signage would decrease the income of those recipients who gain from the video system. But much more importantly, the students would be safer, and Lawtey would completely lose the moniker Speed Trap.
The request of this letter is that the city council commissioners of Lawtey, Florida, with the assistance of the police department and the county authorities make changes in the signage on Highway 301 for one reason, two protect the students at Lawtey Elementary School. Income to all of those who benefit from these speed cameras would undoubtedly be decreased, but isn’t it the object of the entire program to increase the safety of all the children?
And what town wants to be called a speed trap?
Sincerely,
Stewart Harley
