CARENCRO, La. (KLFY) – Carencro Police say the biggest complaints in town are speeding and reckless driving. That’s why they’ve installed speed enforcement systems in school zones.
“If you pass in front of the school every single day, you forget the school zones are there,” said Carencro Police Chief David Anderson.
Here’s how it works. When you’re driving in a school zone, you will see a posted speed limit sign, with times the speed enforcement system is operational. Then, you will see a sign that shows you’re actual speed on radar. If you’re speeding, a camera will take a picture of your license plate as you pass by, and a citation will be mailed to your home address.
“We want to notify the public. This is a school zone. This is your speed. Slow down. We are trying to give you those warnings prior to you being mailed one of these citations,” said Anderson.
The signs and cameras have been placed in front of Carencro High School on West Butcher Switch Road, as well as Carencro Heights Elementary on St. Anne Street.
The system will also be installed in front of Carencro Middle School on North University Avenue, and Carencro Catholic on west St. Peter Street.
“Here in Carencro, we still have a large amount of kids who walk to school, either with their parents, or they walk to school alone. Our number one goal here is to keep these children safe,” said Anderson.
Anderson says the system will be fully functional sometime after the holidays.
The following are the results of a speed survey conducted at the direction of the Carencro Police Department, between September 21, 2020 and September 25, 2020:
W. Butcher Switch Rd in Front of Carencro High School
The survey was only conducted during the School Zone times, 6:30 am – 7:30 am and 1:45 pm – 3:45 pm. The survey revealed the following information:
Total number of vehicles counted – 5,749
Total amount of vehicles traveling more than 10 MPH above the posted speed limit – 1,503
26% of total vehicles were traveling above speed limit.
6:30 am – 7:30 am – 22% of the total vehicles within the School Zone were more than 10 MPH above the speed limit.
1:45 – 3:45 – 46% of the total vehicles within the School Zone were more than 10 MPH above the speed limit.
Teema Rd. Carencro Heights Elementary
The survey was only conducted during the School Zone times, 7:00 am – 8:00 am and 2:30 pm – 3:30 pm. The survey revealed the following information:
Total number of vehicles counted – 4,213
Total amount of vehicles traveling more than 10 MPH above the posted speed limit – 983
23% of total vehicles were traveling above speed limit.
7:00 am – 8:00 am – 29% of the total vehicles within the School Zone were more than 10 MPH above the speed limit.
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm – 29% of the total vehicles within the School Zone were more than 10 MPH above the speed limit.
