PORTSMOUTH, Va. — For more than a month, these cameras have caught the attention of many drivers in Portsmouth, but those aren't the only changes to traffic safety in the works.
“I think it’s beneficial to have," said Portsmouth resident Aaron Warren. "It’s been communication in the neighborhood about them.”
“If it slowed me down, then it should slow everybody else down,” said Dawn Washington.
Washington is one of many drivers taking it slow when she drives by I.C. Norcom High School on her way to work.
“I was a previous zoomer…on the way to work," she said. "15 minutes, zooming right by.”
During a January work session meeting, a Portsmouth Police sergeant updated city council members on the status of the speeding cameras sitting at seven different schools.
“There was a high number of warnings during December," said Portsmouth Police Sergeant M. Blankenship. "In my estimation, that’s 6,208.”
A police spokesperson said as of February 1st, the department has mailed out more than 4,500 citations. However, their efforts don’t stop there.
Department staff are working to add automated red light cameras and school bus stop arm cameras too. These drivers think it’s a good idea.
"They are effective and very important in reference to pedestrians walking across,” Warren said.
“As long as they communicate with us and let us know a little bit more about the bus arm thing,” Washington said.
Police are even working to get more signs up in school zones as another reminder to drivers that a speeding camera is up ahead.
Police hope to get the red light cameras built within a month. The school bus stop arm cameras could be up by April. There will be a 30-day warning period before any fines are issued.