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Virginia lawmaker Kathy Tran wants to help schools and localities get more of a say in speed limits in school zones.
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — How often have you driven down a road and wondered, “who owns this road?” The answer is probably never. After all, why would it matter? Except it does.
Over the last year several serious speed-related traffic accidents occurred near Northern Virginia school zones. In June of 2022, a speeding driver killed two students outside Oakton High School in Fairfax County. The school board has put in new safety measures and continues to do so.
The tragic accident caused the school board to see if they could improve safety in school zones. Board members said they found several that could use lower speed limits. But that all depends on who controls the road in question.
Here’s an example:
Fairfax County School Board member Laura Jane Cohen told us to look at Burke Lake Road. It runs in front of Lake Braddock secondary school. About a mile away, the speed limit is 35 mph, but as you get closer to the school the speed limit increases to 40 mph.
“It doesn’t make good sense to have speeds that fast with kids walking up and down the road,” Cohen said.
So why not lower the speed limit? Cohen said they would like to, but it’s not up to them. The county isn’t in charge of it.
“VDOT controls the main road of Burke Lake Road,” Cohen said.
What does that mean? Well, it’s not up to the county or local governments to lower the speeds.
“VDOT must come in, do an assessment and decide the appropriateness of that speed limit at the school zone and they have the power to set it,” Virginia state delegate Kathy Tran explained.
Tran said that process can take months, or longer, just to get a school zone speed limit lowered.
That is why in 2023 she sponsored a bill in the General Assembly.
“Some of that autonomy would be returned to our local governments with input from our school boards,” she said of her bill.
Her bill never made it out of committee. Therefore, the decision on speed limits like the 40 mph outside of Lake Braddock school, will remain in that tedious state process.
However, Del. Tran and school board member Laura Jane Cohen are already planning to make another attempt in 2024.
“I’m working with Del. Tran and her office to make sure that we have more support from different cities and municipalities,” Cohen said. “We will try to push it through committee by having those conversations off session.”
In the meantime, for student safety in the school zones, the Fairfax County School Board is working with their localities to do other things, like speed cameras, signage, crosswalks — anything while they wait to lower speed limits.
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