YOUNGSTOWN — The speed cameras in school zones in Youngstown will operate from early in the morning as kids are heading to class until 9 p.m. on school days.

That end time is raising questions from Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th Ward, who said she will discuss it at today’s safety committee meeting. She is the committee’s chairwoman.

Lt. Robert Gentile, head of Youngstown police’s accident investigation and traffic unit, said keeping the unmanned speed cameras operating until 9 p.m. is because of possible after-school activities and an effort to keep children safe.

“The whole idea is to have people slow down for the safety of children,” he said.

Asked if the cameras were a speed trap, Gentile said: “There’s activity going on during the school year. It’s about getting people to slow down.”

But Gentile added that even if there are no later-day activities on school days, the cameras still will run to catch speeders.

OFF AND ON

The cameras will be off on days when school isn’t in session such as weekends, holidays and when classes are canceled for weather, Gentile said. A decision hasn’t been made as to what will be done with the cameras in the summer when school is closed, he said.

Regarding citations during nonschool hours, Davis said: “I have some questions. I understand it because there are some schools with after-school programs. But I’ll have questions (today) to narrow it down to not have it every day. The 9 o’clock part shouldn’t be every day.”

The speed limit is 20 mph during the two-hour morning time when kids are going to school and the two-hour afternoon time when they are leaving.

In between and after school ends, the speed limit returns to its normal limit, which is either 25 or 35 mph, Gentile said.

If you exceed that limit by at least six mph before 9 p.m. on a school day, you’ll get a citation, he said.

If motorists drive 45 mph at 8:30 p.m. on a school day when the limit is 35 mph, they will be cited by the unmanned cameras. But if they go 90 mph in a school zone at 10 p.m., they won’t be cited by the camera or face a fine.

CIVIL CITATIONS

The program began Jan. 17 with a 30-day warning period. Starting Feb. 17, civil citations for speeding — ranging from $100 to $150 depending on the speed — will be issued.

Eleven school zones now have speed cameras. Five more will be added once more cameras are available.

The legislation approved Nov. 15 by council doesn’t specifically address times the cameras can be used.

It states, in part: “The selection of locations where automated cameras are placed and the enforcement of this section shall be made on the basis of sound professional traffic engineering and law enforcement judgments, as approved by the chief of police.”

Blue Line Solutions, a Chattanooga, Tenn., company, finalized a deal with the city in May 2022 for unmanned speed cameras in 16 school zones.

Starting Feb. 17, motorists going at least six mph over the speed limit and up to 14 mph over it would face a civil penalty of $100. Those going 15 to 20 mph over the limit would face a $125 penalty and those traveling faster than 20 mph over the limit face a $150 penalty. They would not get points on their driving record for the civil citations.

A study in April 2021 by Blue Line showed over a five-day period that 21.3 percent of motorists monitored in school zones traveled at least 11 mph over the speed limit.

GATHERING DATA

On Jan. 17, the first day of the 30-day warning period, 1,218 motorists were caught speeding, Gentile said.

Blue Line is operating the cameras and handling the issuance of citations.

The company hasn’t provided any additional information on the number of speeders to the city since then, Gentile said.

Once the cameras are live on Feb. 17, Blue Line will provide the city with regular data either daily or weekly, Gentile said.

“Our access is limited until we get up and running,” he said.

The city would get 65 percent of the money collected from speed citations with Blue Line receiving the remaining 35 percent.

When the state Legislature in 2019 changed the law that reduced a community’s Local Government Fund allocation by the amount it collected in speed camera penalties, Youngstown got rid of them.

The city’s police department used hand-held speed cameras, almost exclusively on Interstate 680 between South Avenue and Meridian Road, from August 2015 until November 2019 before the state law changed.

But the law permits money collected from citations in school zones not to count toward reductions in LGF. Those fees can be used only for school safety resources, such as improvements to school zones and crosswalks near those buildings, under state law.

The city ended the police speed-camera program because the money collected was exclusively for police equipment purchases and to pay for officers on that duty, who did so on overtime at time and a half. LGF money goes into the city’s general fund and can be used to fund several departments.

dskolnick@vindy.com