By Hafsa Ayubi, Politics and Government Reporter
Beginning Sept. 9, Blacksburg Police will begin enforcing speed limits with cameras in school zones, including along Prices Fork Road, in an effort to keep students and staff safer as they travel to and from school.
Andrew Webb, with Montgomery County Public Schools’ Communication and Public Relations Office, said the goal is not to “write a million tickets,” but to raise awareness and encourage drivers to slow down.
According to Webb, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office had already started a similar program in school zones in the Eastern Montgomery area, the Auburn area and along Prices Fork Road near Prices Fork Elementary. This summer, the Blacksburg Police Department installed cameras on Prices Fork and a couple of other places around town.
The cameras only capture photos when the school-zone lights are flashing, Webb explained. Drivers should be going 25 mph through those zones, and drivers traveling a certain speed above that limit while the lights are flashing can receive a citation from the Blacksburg Police Department.
Webb said he did not have specific data or know of a particular incident that led to the program. Instead, he repeatedly came back to one goal: keeping students and staff safe. From the school side, Webb said even preventing one incident would make the program worthwhile.
In a Sept. 3 Zoom interview, Webb discussed how the cameras work, what the school system considers success and what he hopes drivers take away from the new enforcement.
His comments were edited slightly for length and clarity.
What is the purpose of the new school-zone speed cameras?
Blacksburg is the newest group to do it. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office originally started this program, setting up speed-enforcement cameras in school zones in the Eastern Montgomery area, the Auburn area and up on Prices Fork Road where Prices Fork Elementary is.
This summer, Blacksburg and the town and the Blacksburg Police Department installed cameras on Prices Fork and, I believe, a couple other places around town. They’re aimed at keeping people safer on the roads as kids are getting to and from school.
Was there a specific incident or speeding data that led to the program?
No data that I have, but anytime we have an opportunity to do something to keep our students and staff safer as they’re headed to and from school, we’re going to take advantage of it.
We support the Sheriff’s Office and Blacksburg Police Department for pulling this off and helping keep our kids safe.
Could more Blacksburg schools get cameras in the future?
I’m not sure. Right now, I know the majority of them have these cameras. I think the only ones that we’re really missing would be Harding Avenue and Margaret Beeks Elementary.
I think the rest of them are covered by the current setup.
How do the cameras work, and are they different from Flock cameras?
Correct. These work where they’re only going to capture photos when the lights are flashing on the school zone. You should be going 25 through those zones anyway.
If you’re going a certain speed above 25 while those lights are flashing, you’re going to get a citation from the Blacksburg Police Department.
Blacksburg, Va., Sept. 3, 2026 – Andrew Webb poses for his official Montgomery County Public Schools photo. Photo: Montgomery County Public Schools.
What does success look like from the school side of the program?
I can’t necessarily speak for the police department, but for the school side of things, success is just anything we can do to keep our kids safe.
If we can save one life, one incident happening, we’ll take that opportunity anytime it’s presented.
Is the goal more about giving tickets or getting people to slow down?
That’s essentially what the goal is, to keep people safe. The way we go about that is by enforcing speed in our school zones.
Like I said before, if we can do anything to protect our kids, we’re going to do it. I don’t think the goal is necessarily to write a million tickets. I think it’s more so just awareness and really just keeping everybody safe who’s traveling down those roads.
How involved was the school system in putting the camera program together?
Honestly, we didn’t really have anything to do with it. The town and the police department, I think, found a company who specializes in this, and they partnered and made it all happen and just stuck them up in front of those school zones.
Have you heard any feedback from parents or the community about the cameras?
I haven’t heard any public feedback specifically to this program in general, but safety’s our number one priority.
I think the community recognizes that we’re doing our part, or making sure we can do everything we can to keep our kids, staff and everyone who’s in our buildings as safe as possible.
What is the biggest thing you want drivers to remember?
Just mind your speed as you’re going down Prices Fork and traveling through town whenever you see those lights flashing.
Just know that we’re trying to get our kids to and from school as safe as possible. We want everybody to be able to have a safe trip to and from school.
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