The US city of Memphis and Conduent, a provider of diversified business process services, have announced the implementation of a new Speed Safety Programme to encourage motorists to slow done in school zones.
The automated Speed Safety Programme will supplement existing traffic calming measures employed by Memphis police officers and will deploy Conduent-supplied digital camera systems to identify alleged violations.
Some 15 cameras are installed on poles that are located near or adjacent to intersections in school zones and S-curves. Cameras will be active for the 30 minutes prior to a school opening and 15 minutes after it has opened. The cameras will once again activate 15 minutes prior to a school closing until 30 minutes after it has closed.
The 15 locations were selected by the city based on a scoring matrix that evaluated accident history and accident severity at approximately 350 locations and narrowed down to 30 locations for speed assessments. The 15 locations with the highest percentage of drivers operating above the posted speed limit were selected for initial deployment.
Conduent’s DriveSafe system uses radar detection technology to accurately detect vehicles through the school zone or S-curve. The precise speed of each vehicle is securely monitored to determine if the posted speed limit is exceeded.
“We’re proud to partner with the city on this important implementation,” said Holly Cooper, general manager, Public Safety Solutions at Conduent. “Our team is committed to giving cities like Memphis the latest technology and the tools they need to keep children and other citizens safe, particularly in school zones.”
Citation fees, which are determined by the City of Memphis, are US$50 (£38) for each individual violation and failure to respond to the original notice will result in a US$45 (£34) late fee.
Revenue resulting from penalties and assessments associated with the implementation of this ordinance shall first be applied to all equipment, administrative, and associated processing costs.
All excess revenues will then be limited to the payment of costs associated with traffic and safety education programmes and shall not be available for general government operating expenditures.
