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Thirteen-year-old Landon Coggins was riding his bike near Woodlands Middle school with his friend, Angel, when their bikes crashed, throwing them onto the roadway as a semi-truck passed by. The truck killed Landon, and injured Angel. Though the driver that struck them was not at fault, this incident raises an important issue. How do we protect our children and make sure they can safely walk and bike to school? It’s something that’s been on Gregg’s mind - even more so after meeting in his office with Landon’s mom and his grandparents. They left Gregg a book with pictures and hundreds of letters from friends writing about Landon's tragic passing.
Gregg spoke about it at the June 18 Zoning Hearing, when he requested county engineers to study the road and make safety improvements. Watch his comments here.
Previously, with the support of the rest of the board, Gregg had directed staff to bring back an ordinance establishing school speed zones, which allow automated speed cameras to catch dangerous drivers near schools. Under the proposed ordinance, Palm Beach County would join other Florida communities in using automated speed detection systems in school zones. The cameras target drivers going at least 10mph over the posted speed limit during school zone hours – typically 30 minutes before school starts; during the school day; and 30 minutes after school ends. This enforcement became possible through new Florida legislation that took effect July 1, 2023, making school zone speed cameras legal. Read all about the bill, HB 657.
In the process of advancing this ordinance, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) has been doing speed surveys near the schools over several days to determine where the cameras should be placed. Though they have not yet surveyed all of the locations, the preliminary results are eye-opening. Take Santaluces High School: on May 22, from 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM, PBSO counted the number of cars going more than 10 miles over the speed limit. They did the same in the afternoon. More than 600 (!) cars were found to be speeding excessively during the morning hour, and 700 (!!) after school was out.
We averaged the morning and afternoon speeding counts for each of the locations and mapped them. Take a look here. Once the speed study is completed, the ordinance will come back to the board for a first and second reading before becoming law. The next step would be the selection of a vendor who will install the cameras. Once in place, the speed cameras will automatically ticket drivers who are going more than 10 miles over the speed limit during school hours. The expectation is that drivers will learn to slow down, resulting in roadways that are safer for kids walking and biking to school.
In our May 20 newsletter, we asked you to identify traffic issues and propose solutions. We’re so appreciative of everyone who shared their thoughts, and we’re making short videos illustrating the issues. The first one is about wrong-way drivers in downtown West Palm Beach. Take a look at the Spotlight section of this newsletter.
Rich Walesky, a passionate defender of the environment, died last month at the age of 76. He served as the county’s Director of Environmental Resources Management (ERM) for 24 years. Friends and family shared their memories with veteran journalist Joe Capozzi, who wrote this moving obituary.
Happy 4th of July!
And thanks for being a reader.
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