29,000 warnings issued in initial month of Tallulah Falls school zone devices

TALLULAH FALLS -- The Tallulah Falls School speed zone has been 45 mph for years, but how fast those motorists on Highway 441 are traveling has caused some to become fumed.

The zone that has been patrolled by law enforcement had Automated Traffic Enforcement Speed Devices installed and activated just prior to the start of students’ school year. The first month the devices were in use the alleged violators received warnings. Then in September the device continued to register the alleged speed violators but the warnings were replaced with fines.

A Chattanooga, Tenn., company provides the Tallulah Falls Police Department on a monthly basis with breakdowns on the overall total of motorists through the zone and number of those vehicles ticketed. 

The first “unofficial” school zone numbers were presented in a packet of reports to the Town of Tallulah Falls council members at the Oct. 13 meeting. The documents for the police report – along with financials, zoning administrator, and volunteer time sheets – were not discussed aloud in the meeting.

With the tally being from Aug. 8 to Sept. 6, all of the traffic numbers were for warnings. Next month’s council meeting for Tallulah Falls is projected to have traffic numbers from Sept. 7 into the month of October and those numbers will involve fined motorists.

The total traffic count was conducted during “school zone times” of 6:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The overall count of traffic during the school zone times from Aug. 8-Sept. 6 was 166,900 vehicles.

The total citations captured for speeding at 56 mph or faster was 29,045.

A total of 20,948 warnings were mailed after 8,097 were rejected. Tallulah Falls Police Chief Tonya Elrod said she expects the rejections to “drastically reduce” with the cameras becoming positioned at the correct angle.

“We are still working on this,” Elrod noted in her written police report to council members. Elrod was not present for the Oct. 13 meeting.

Camera repairs were made between Aug. 8-12 as 4,245 warnings were rejected. During the later Tallulah Falls School weeks, the rejected totals dropped to 1,307 or less per Monday through Friday.

From Aug. 8-12, a total of 3,265 citations were issued to go along with the 4,245 rejections; Aug. 15-19 total of 6,269 issued, rejections 1,252; Aug. 22-Sept. 2 total of 6,453 issued, rejections 1,307; and the lone day of Sept. 6 total 773 issued and rejections 75.

With each passing week of school, the total number of vehicles traveling through the school zone increased. In Aug. 8-12, the total traffic was 32,752; Aug. 15-19, traffic 35,600; Aug. 22-26, traffic 39,882; Aug. 29-Sept. 2, traffic 42,215; and Sept. 6, traffic 16,391.

Elrod said in August to The Clayton Tribune the main goal for the speed devices was “safety for everyone involved.”

As for the warning period for devices, the violators did not receive points off their driver’s license and the warnings were not be reported to the motorists’ insurance companies.

The automated speed zone has been enforced on school days starting one hour before school starts until one hour after the end of the school day.

In school zones, there are posted speed limits. Schools have flashing lights to warn of the upcoming school zone. The cameras have been used to identify any vehicles traveling over the approved speed limit.

Anyone in the designated school zone driving 11 mph or more over the posted speed limit will receive a citation in the mail. The speed limit is 45 mph and the motorist will be given a ticket at 56 mph.

Elrod said the 45-mph speed limit is set by the Georgia Department of Transportation.

“We here at Tallulah Falls don’t set the speed limit, we just enforce it to the best of our ability,” Elrod told The Clayton Tribune in September.