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Leesburg police report 200 school-zone stops after start of term; smart trailers show high peak speeds
Summary
Traffic staff told the commission they ran a two‑week enforcement blitz after schools opened, stopping more than 200 drivers; portable speed trailers recorded high peak speeds at several school corridors though median speeds were near posted limits.
Leesburg traffic staff and police told the Traffic Commission on Tuesday that a department‑wide enforcement effort after schools returned to session resulted in more than 200 stops for speeding in school zones over two weeks.
The department said officers ran a focused “traffic blitz” during the two weeks after Aug. 21 aimed at motorists speeding through school zones. “We, as a department, managed to stop over 200 drivers who were speeding through school zones during that time period of just 2 weeks,” a staff member reported to the commission.
Traffic staff also presented data collected by portable “smart” trailers and single static feedback signs placed near several schools. At Battlefield Parkway and Ball’s Bluff, staff said they recorded an average daily flow of about 5,826 vehicles (64,000 vehicles over the two‑week sample) and recorded a maximum speed of 78 mph in a 35 mph zone; the 50th percentile speed was 35 mph and the 80th percentile was 40 mph. At Dry Mill (near Lee Avenue), staff reported about 2,386 average daily vehicles and an average speed near 20 mph with a reported maximum of 58 mph and an 80th percentile near 27.4 mph.
The commission’s discussion emphasized the combined approach of engineering, education and enforcement. Commissioners asked staff to provide follow‑up counts and timing details for the high speeds and to supply the full datasets for review. Staff said additional studies will be run after sign relocations and other adjustments, and that results would be presented at a future meeting.
Commissioners also heard that the town’s new school‑zone camera program was a reason for the stepped‑up enforcement and that the visual presence of patrols was intended to create a short‑term compliance effect while engineering and longer‑term countermeasures are evaluated.
The commission asked staff to return with updated studies in the coming month and to share the underlying data electronically with commissioners.
