The Middletown town council has approved speed cameras in several school zones to reduce speeding and make the roadways safer for children.
The cameras will be in effect when school is in session and will only be operational on school days and hours. The speed cameras will also issue civil violations rather than tickets for those driving 10 mph over the speed limit or higher.
The idea for the speed cameras was brought to the town council earlier this year as a way to address the persistent problem of speeding in Middletown despite the efforts of the Middletown Police Department to address the issue.
According to statistics, 47% of drivers in Middletown were speeding during the morning hours when Blue Line Solutions conducted a five-day review in November 2023.
During the afternoon hours, 56% of drivers were speeding. The data revealed that Valley Road in front of Middletown High School was the worst area for speeding, with at least four out of every five cars going over the speed limit.
The town council and Blue Line Solutions have agreed on a $16-of-every-$50 ticket for the civil violations. The hope is that the cameras will change speeding habits and make the roadways safer for children.
The speed cameras will be placed by Aquidneck, Forest Avenue, Gaudet, and Middletown High Schools, as well as St. George’s School on Purgatory Road. The town is still working on securing the necessary approvals from the state Department of Transportation (RIDOT), and the timeline for installation is pending the approval of RIDOT.
The full announcement form the Town of Middletown is below;
SCHOOL ZONE SPEED CAMERAS IN STORE
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (JUNE 6, 2024) – Middletown is moving forward with installing speed cameras in school zones.
Looking to cut down on the amount of speeding during school hours, the Town Council recently approved a contract with Blue Line Solutions to put in and maintain the cameras.
The cameras will be placed in school zones on Aquidneck Avenue, Forest Avenue as well as Purgatory, Turner and Valley roads. Under the terms of the agreement, the cameras will only be operational on school days and hours.
They will also issue civil violations — not tickets — if motorists are traveling 10 mph or more over the speed limit. That means the violations from the speed cameras won’t go on a driver’s record.
Before the system goes live, Blue Line Solutions must widely advertise the presence of the cameras to the public. Town Solicitor Peter Regan has to give his final sign off to the agreement as well.
“(Middletown Police) Lt. (David) Bisssonnette has done a great job pulling this all together and working with the state here,” Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said. “A lot more work goes into something like this than most people realize. It’s not just putting up the camera.”
The idea of the speed cameras was brought to the council earlier this year as a way to cut speeds and reduce potential tragedies with the community’s most vulnerable populations.
According to statistics from the Chattanooga, Tennessee firm, speeding is a persistent problem in Middletown, despite the hard work of the Middletown Police Department.
During a five-day review in November 2023, Blue Line Solutions said there were 29,134 vehicles recorded passing Middletown High, Gaudet Middle, Forest Avenue, Aquidneck and St. George’s schools in the morning hours. Of those, 13,644 were speeding — or 47 percent.
Blue Line Solutions figures indicated the number of speeders during the midday hours dropped to 7 percent, with 7,172 speeders of the 101,558 cars counted.
But the totals spiked in the afternoon hours, where Blue Line Solutions totals showed that of the 30,978 vehicles, 17,402 were speeding — or 56 percent.
Blue Line Solutions data showed Valley Road in front of Middletown High was consistently the worst, with at least four out of every five cars going at least 10 mph over the 35 mph posted speed limit.
Resident Antone Viveiros said if it was up to him, he’d like to see cameras be placed to catch red light runners at the same time.
In response, local officials said that was in the works, but it would take more time for the necessary approvals from the state Department of Transportation (RIDOT). And given the state’s focus on addressing problems with the Washington Bridge in Providence, those cameras might not be in place for awhile.
Bissonnette said for every red light camera installed, it was a separate permit and approval from RIDOT, which takes time for each review.
“We can’t just go ahead,” Brown said. “We have to work with RIDOT. We would be putting (those cameras) on state roads.”
As for the school zone speed cameras, they will be placed by Aquidneck, Forest Avenue, Gaudet and Middletown High schools, as well St. George’s School on Purgatory Road.
Previously, Jason Friedberg, vice president of sales & marketing for Blue Line Solutions, said the speeding totals in Middletown weren’t particularly alarming given what’s happening across the country. He said the aim was to make a lasting change to the driving habits of locals and visitors alike to try to keep everyone safe.
Based on the local speeding totals, town officials have said no matter how much enforcement is pushed by Middletown Police, it would be impossible to keep up. That’s because there were simply too many vehicles going too fast to make even a small dent in the problem.
Under its agreement, Blue Line Solutions said there would be no upfront costs to the Police Department from the program. The same is true for maintenance costs, back office expenses and out-of-pocket payments either. Bissonnette said under the agreement, Blue Line Solutions would receive $16 of every $50 ticket.
Because it’s a civil violation, Friedberg said the ticket wouldn’t go on a driver’s record. He also said a motorist couldn’t use the “good driver” exemption to get out of the ticket either.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
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