Safety measures taken at Bainbridge school to decrease speeding

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (WALB) - A school zone in Decatur County will now be patrolled daily since speeding in the area has become a concern to local law enforcement.

Here’s how parents are reacting to the increased safety measures which include flashing school zone beacons.

“This has been a process we’ve been working on for a couple of years,” Assistant Principal of Spring Creek Charter Academy Tim Spooner said. “We’ve been able to get these signs and things out here to alert motorists that this is a school zone.”

Spring Creek Charter Academy is on the side of a state highway. Because of speed concerns, the school began working with local law enforcement to get signage put up and deputies stationed to keep traffic in check.

“I first noticed them right before school started a few weeks back,” Marcus Moses, a parent, said. “And I thought it was a great idea. You know safety’s always first when it comes to our kids. Sometimes some of the cars come through here and they’re kind of speeding a little bit.”

The Decatur County Sheriff’s Office took it upon themselves to remind the public to slow down by posting a reminder on their Facebook page. The sheriff’s office said the process to get the signage put up was simple after they reached out to the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT).

“It’s basically up to the DOT,” Decatur County Sheriff’s Office Captain Michael Cox said. “All you gotta do is notify them and then I guess they’ll do a study and then they’ll put it up if the study warrants. Of course, it’s a school, so obviously they’re going to put a flashing sign up.”

While Spooner says the school doesn’t have many kids who walk to school, the traffic in the area will increase even more as their school grows.

“Right this minute, we have a really huge car pickup line and our buses are full because we’re growing and Spring Creek’s expanding,” Spooner said. “And of course, you’re going to have a little growing pains along the way, but we’re trying to mitigate those as much as possible.”

If you notice speeding in your child’s school zone and would like to see about getting flashing beacons put up, contact Georgia DOT at (404) 631-1990.

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