Sleepy Hollow Road gets a speed camera
Fairfax County plans to install speed cameras at eight school zones – including Sleepy Hollow Road at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School – by Feb. 10
The goals of the photo monitoring program are to encourage drivers to slow down and protect pedestrians. Studies have shown that speed camera enforcement reduces crashes and traffic-related injuries and ultimately saves lives.
Related story: Supervisors approve speed cameras
During the first 30 days, drivers will receive a warning if a speed camera captures them speeding.
After that, violators will face an escalating fine structure, starting at 10 mph over the limit and maxing out at $100.
Sleepy Hollow Road gets sidewalks, and a speed camera? Very easy to see whose lives the county values.
Not yours, Dawna; not yours. That shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Belvedere, Baileys, Columbia and Mason Crest kids don’t have to cross a major thoroughfare like Sleepy Hollow kids do. Typically FCPS tries to draw boundary lines to avoid those types of crossings. (The kids who can literally look out their front window across Columbia Pike at Belvedere actually go to Columbia.)
One of the goals of the Sleepy Hollow sidewalk project is to narrow the road, which has been shown to reduce speeding. I saw a young girl come within inches of being hit in a crosswalk a few years ago. It was summer, but we still need to find a way to slow people down on Sleepy Hollow.
Free & reduced lunch numbers aren’t available in recent years due to expanded federal programs. Even though universal free lunch ended this school year, Sleepy Hollow is one of about 30 schools that still receives free meals due to student need. Before the pandemic, Sleepy Hollow was a Title I school and I suspect it would be now if that data was collected.
Regardless of its neighborhood, location, or student population, it doesn’t mean the school is being favored when safety improvements are made. A total of eight school locations across the county are receiving cameras.
Good comments Jen. One correction… current free and reduced fees actually are available via the school profile… and shows over 62% of Sleepy Hollow students qualify for free and reduced meals. Many of those students live in the apartments in Willston and Patrick Henry communities.
There are no bus lines down Sleepy Hollow, so the walkway project will actually enable a walking route to the school for those families – although a long one (roughly 2 miles). Still, for families without alternate means of transportation, its better than nothing if they wish to go to after school events (though the PTA tries to provide transportation).
In general, speed on Sleepy Hollow has been a consistent complaint by those who live along sleepy hollow. With a school right there, this makes a lot of sense for a speed camera.
Sidewalks will bring even more homeless and crime. Always has, always will. Doesn’t matter to me because my property is gated with cameras. The rest of you are screwed.
This site is starting to attract some quality parody posters.
Lol
Sidewalks bring crime? All the evidence is to the contrary. When neighbors are able to walk safely through their own neighborhoods crime drops.
And kids being able to walk safely to school and to the public parks is just civilized. What kind of person opposes children bring able to walk to school or the park?
There’s a small wooded park directly across the street from Congressional School where a jogger was recently sexually assaulted by a man with a surgical mask. This is where the sidewalk is going. I noticed the name of the small park was just changed. Now on google maps it is called Sleepy Hollow Park. And I can’t find anything online about the crime, which is strange.
Helen, that park has been called Sleepy Hollow Park for decades. They didn’t “just” change the name. It’s also never been much of a park. And to whomever said “sidewalks bring crime and homeless” – you have no idea what you’re talking about. There is zero evidence to back up your claim. I spent a couple of decades in law enforcement and can tell you there is not data to back up what you’re spouting.
Do gates and camera stop speeding cars? Or bullets? Did something change? Shut up, Ben. No one cares that you have a gate. Criminals commit crimes in broad daylight with armed police officers patrolling nearby. You think a gate will stop someone who really wants in? Laughably naive.
speed cameras are needed at far more locations on sleepy hollow road than in the immediate vicinity of the schoool. it is commonly used as a raceway/dragstrip at all hours…amd since it was repaved, same true of Holmes Run between Cedarwood and South Street.
That is also due to the fact the neighbors wouldn’t approve speed humps along that stretch of HRR. Repaving it didn’t result in more speeders – you have no data to back that up.
It’s our resident cop and data guru, swooping in to correct the record!
Can you point us to recent studies on drag racing on sleepy hollow? How on earth is still me one supposed to have data to back up that people speed up and down sleepy hollow?
As someone that lives on sleepy hollow, I can tell you that John b’s claim is true, even though it currently lacks sufficient data analytics.
To Ben Dolhlers … gated! Why? Are they afraid you’ll escape?
Now please get one on heritage drive especially next to Donnybrook CT, and Wedgewood people suddenly lose the ability to drive when they come there.
Woodburn Elementary on Gallows Road did not receive a Speed Camera. People rarely slow down on Gallows Road for the blinking school zone light.
Does anyone know if this camera is actually operating? Or does it operate only during school hours? And when are those exactly? Does it operate only when the yellow flashing lights are going? The first flashing light south of the school is not actually working right now, or at least it was off this morning when the other one just passed the school (driving north) was on. so how are they letting us know whether the thing is operating? I have personally never seen it flash, which some of them do when they are ticketing. For the record, I always go 25 when I see the yellow lights flashing, and I go to 35 through there which is the speed limit, or less. I’m also all for sidewalks, everywhere. Another good location for sidewalks a flashing crosswalk and a speed camera would be Graham Road, another title I school where most of the children would have to cross a busy 2-lane road in order to walk to school.
Why have a speed camera that only writes tickets starting at 10mph over the limit? I don’t have the logic and reasoning skills of the solicitor general, but it sounds like the actual speed limit is the posted speed limit plus nine. So 34 mph in front the school?