Residents had complained of tickets given when warning lights not blinking
St. Martinville – The flashing lights along N. Main Street approaching St. Martinville Senior High from the north and St. Martin STEAM Academy from the south have been fixed so that drivers are warned of the school zone speed limit enforcement of 25 mph, St. Martinville Police Chief Ricky Martin said Thursday.
Residents had complained to St. Martinville City Councilman Mike Fuselier that they had received tickets for exceeding the school zone speed limit when the warning lights were not flashing, and for times after 4 p.m., when school zone speed limits are not enforced.
Martin also had spoken to some residents about tickets they received from automated enforcement cameras and flashers that were installed in October by Blue Line Solutions, a third-party company.
Martin said a tree near St. Martinville Senior High was trimmed because it was interfering with the solar panels that charge the batteries for the flashing lights indicating the school zone time is in effect. Speed feedback signs also show the speed of oncoming vehicles so they can see how fast they are going as they approach the school zone.
The solar panel batteries were replaced and the flashing lights were working by Thursday morning after the police chief called the company earlier in the week. Martin said that because the solar panels were not working properly, the batteries were not charging.
“They acted pretty quick on that,” Martin said Thursday afternoon. “I sent somebody out there this morning to make sure they were working properly, and everything’s working like it’s supposed to.”
The school zone runs from just beyond St. Martin STEAM Academy to just beyond St. Martinville Senior High, with the school zone speed limit enforced from 7-9 a.m. and from 2-4 p.m. on weekdays, Martin said, adding that the school zone times are not posted.
Speed
When school zone times are in effect, the speed limit on that stretch of Main Street is 25 mph. The speed limit is 35 mph when the school zone is not in effect.
“That’s always been the school zone time,” Martin said. “When the sign is flashing, it’s school zone time. So if they see the signs flashing, that mean’s it’s 25. If they’re not flashing, it’s 35.”
Martin noted that the school zone has been averaging 200 tickets issued a week and urged drivers to be aware of the speed limits around schools, and the school zone enforcement time.
Fuselier said that the chief did a good job of taking care of all the issues that arose from the flashing lights that were not working.
“He always was trying to fix this problem,” Fuselier said of the police chief. “I put all the blame on the third party and their equipment.”
Fuselier said he wanted to make sure that the lights were always working and that the signs posting the speed of vehicles in the school zone were working.
He’s also like to see the times of the school zone enforcement posted clearly so that the cameras and enforcement signs are not just a speed trap.
“I want to emphasize from my point of view, I felt like the chief has been on this,” Fuselier said.
