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Slow down: Fairfax City speed cameras near schools now watching

A sign denotes a new speed camera on Fairfax Boulevard, near Fairfax High School, on the morning of Nov. 1, 2021. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

Most drivers know to slow down in school zones — those who forget in the city of Fairfax, Virginia, will be reminded with a speed camera ticket.

Beginning Monday morning, Nov. 1, speed cameras will operate along Fairfax Boulevard, Old Lee Highway, and Jermantown Road, to protect students who attend the city’s four schools, and Woodson High School and Frost Middle School, in Fairfax County.

Signs reading “School Zone: Speed Photo Enforced” warn drivers that speed cameras are active.

In 2020, Governor Ralph Northam signed General Assembly legislation, which allows speed camera enforcement in school crossing and highway work zones. The Fairfax City Council tweaked its code in March 2021.

Portable cameras will be activated in work zones, as crews build or repair roadways.

When speed cameras catch drivers going more than 10 miles per hour above the posted limit, a $100 citation will be issued.

For the next 30 days, drivers will only receive a warning. After the one-month grace period, speed camera citations will be processed in the same manner as the city’s red light camera tickets.

A golf course for ‘the people’ faces a presidential makeover

WASHINGTON (AP) — A pack of cyclists whisked by along the circuit at East Potomac Park while the golf course parking lot filled with luxury SUVs parked next to older, inexpensive economy cars, all with the Washington Monument in the background. The scene highlighted what residents say are the park's best features: its accessibility and affordability right in the nation's capital. The historic park, especially the golf course, has caught the eye of President Donald Trump, who wants to turn it into a world-class golf venue. It's part of his grand vision for Washington, D.C., where he has torn down storied structures, remade or renamed others and deployed the National Guard for more than a year. But some residents fear the planned changes to the golf course — where Trump has visited with a cabinet member, a well-known golf course architect and blueprints — risk altering the character of a place that has served Washingtonians of many stripes for more than a century. Turning the park into an upscale golf course will mean costlier fees and a loss of public space, residents worry.
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